Forget the Legalese When It Comes to Law-Related Education

Meanwhile, the so-called Plain English or Plain Language Movement (Plain English Network: http://www.plainlanguage.gov/), which is alive and well, has done its best to get state legislatures to pass laws to regulate the comprehensibility of consumer contracts. To its detractors, Emeritus Professor of Law David Mellinkoff, author of The Language of the Law, pointed out that the Plain English Movement “is not a diatribe to wipe out the language of the law…But simply—unless there is a reason for it—it shouldn’t be any different than ordinary English. The language of the law should not be different from common speech.”

And that’s a fundamental of law-related education: Helping ordinary citizens understand laws so that they are more knowledgeable about and receptive to the justice system. Legalese and obfuscation do not promote that; nor do they breed trust. Clarity does.

Here are some Web sites that offer glossaries and dictionaries of legal terms and definitions:

 The‘Lectric Law Library’s Legal Lexicon’s Lyceum: www.lectlaw.com//def.htm

 International Law Dictionary and Directory: http://august1.com/pubs/dict/index.shtml

 U.S. Department of Justice/U.S. Attorney/Inside the Courtroom: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage...

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