Using jargon can alienate outsiders, including judges. But is there ever a good reason to use it?
Theda C. Snyder - April 3, 2019Parties frequently use terms incorrectly, and that leads to miscommunication.
Theda C. Snyder - March 4, 2019The bottom line is that “coequal” means “equal.”
Theda C. Snyder - February 12, 2019Advocates frequently confuse “implicit” and “explicit” in writing and particularly in oral argument.
Theda C. Snyder - January 16, 2019You may be called on to write an obituary on behalf of your firm. Consider what the decedent would want people to know.
Theda C. Snyder - November 6, 2018To avoid putting the proverbial keyboard in your mouth, do not use words or phrases until you are 100 percent certain of the meaning.
Theda C. Snyder - October 8, 2018No, we don't mean your words go into the garbage. A tipsy vocabulary may enrich your communications. In the right case, soused language can be spot-on.
Theda C. Snyder - September 10, 2018Stay away from shortcut, cutesy or slang expressions about hot-button issues such as racism, sexual harassment or the Holocaust.
Theda C. Snyder - August 8, 2018Words with the suffix “–nym” pop up regularly. Some are common, but many of the 46 words with this suffix are not. “Nym” derives from the Greek word for “name” or “word.” Don’t include obscure –nym words just to show off; that just confuses ...
Theda C. Snyder - July 11, 2018Now lawyers use every term they can think of because some court somewhere once said the language in the contract didn’t cover the dispute. Sometimes that’s a good reason, but often it is not. Rather than a considered approach, most lawyers start ...
Theda C. Snyder - June 12, 2018Sign up for our free newsletter.