More than just words: Plain Language column turns 40

Joe Kimble was working as a staff analyst for the Michigan Supreme Court in the mid-1970s when he...

The Semi-Legendary, Borderline Spectacular, Mostly Memorable Seniors–Faculty Basketball Games

For a little more than a decade beginning in the late 1980s, on the morning of graduation, the...

Plain Language to the Rescue

EGRESS? You are in a crowded restaurant. The fire alarm goes off and diners rush for the doors. One...

Guide to Good Writing; Get Specific!

Strunk & White’s classic guide to good writing, The Elements of Style, urges writers to use...

Using Microsoft Word’s Readability Program: advice for lawyers

Readability should be a goal of all careful writers. Lawyers, in particular, need to exercise care...

Calling All Scribes

What does the word “scribes” call to mind? For most people, it evokes the image of medieval monks...

Vampire Verbs and Zombie Nouns

Whether it's Halloween or not, verbs and nouns can sometimes be downright scary! Professor Otto...

Update: Corporate Annual Reports – Plain-Language Progress?

Last year at about this time, I wrote this in a blog post, “Corporate Annual Reports –...

Note to legal writers: You CAN start sentences with But.

My colleague Joe Kimble has attempted to refute the common superstition against beginning a...

Legal Writing Experts Explain the Evolving "They"

One thing is for sure. Only writing professionals and the grammar elite have the passion to wrap...