How to avoid 'legalese'

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Replace legal 'flavouring' with plain words

Here are some examples:

• accordingly = therefore / so

• expedite = speed up

• forthwith = now

• furthermore = then, also, and

• notwithstanding = despite / still / yet

• whereas = but

Sometimes using a longer phrase that explains a concept clearly is helpful.

Chop up sentences

A good average sentence length is 15–20 words. Chopping up long sentences will make your meaning clearer and your reader happy.

Use people’s names

Banish third person names whenever possible—employer/employee, lessor/lessee, the company, the party—these can add distance and confusion. Use real names or ‘you’, ‘your’, ‘we’, and ‘our’.

Get rid of synonyms

Legal documents are usually full of unnecessary synonyms that do nothing but add wordy padding. Watch out for synonyms like ‘fit and proper’, ‘due and payable’, ‘indemnify and hold harmless’, ‘null and void’, and ‘each and every’. Choose just one word.

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