Legal Opinions
Guidelines
Either give the summary of your opinion at the beginning of the technical explanation or include it in a transmittal letter. If there is any action to be taken, recommend it up front.
Pay particular attention to sentence and paragraph length to keep your writing readable. Don’t bury important ideas in long sentences and paragraphs. Contrary to popular belief among lawyers, periods do not create loopholes; with good transitional words and phrases, you can lead your reader into the next sentence or paragraph for further elaboration, exceptions, or qualifications. Short paragraphs also provide eye relief and call attention to significant ideas.
Cut these legalisms from your memo: redundant synonyms (last will and testament, maintenance and upkeep, null and void); ready-made introductions that could fit onto any number of opinions on the same subject matter; unnecessary quotes you could paraphrase; formalisms (party of the first part); plain old everyday repetition.
Use informative headings for a lengthy text.
Use examples to make vague or difficult concepts more understandable.
Don’t simply restate a law or contract’s wording: Make application to the questions at hand.
Put all important information in the text body, not in footnotes or attachments.
Don’t make your reader look elsewhere for details to understand the basic message. For example, don’t allude to other documents without attaching or enclosing copies.
Don’t write in the abstract—to “Everyman.” Picture your readers and write to them as you would explain the situation for their specific applications.
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