§ 50. Remember that good writing makes the reader's job easy; bad writing makes it hard.
Exercises
Basic
Find a published judicial opinion that, in its opening paragraph, makes you feel stupid. Analyze why this is so. If you're part of a writing group or class, bring a copy for each colleague and be prepared to discuss your example.
Intermediate
Find a published judicial opinion that, in its opening paragraph, makes you feel smart. Analyze why this is so. If you're part of a writing group or class, bring a copy for each colleague and be prepared to discuss your example.
Advanced
Find a brief that, in its first few pages, makes you feel stupid. Rewrite the opener so that it would be immediately comprehensible to a generalist reader. If you're part of a writing group or class, bring a copy of your before-and-after versions for each colleague.
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© 2001, Bryan A. Garner
These exercises appear in Bryan A. Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises, published by The University of Chicago Press and available at bookstores and on the Web at www.press.uchicago.edu.