On Clarity v. Obscurity
A fine piece by John Browning (a partner with Gordon & Rees) in the Southeast Texas Record.
Browning writes a weekly column (Legally Speaking) for The Record, and he writes about all sorts of things: from the tragic effects of news crews going along with cops on a bust, to people suing — Not the folks who demolished their house — but the folks who made the bulldozer that was used for the demolition!
In a recent column, he spoke of the need for trained court interpreters. In this column, he advises that — in response to that earlier column — “some readers have reminded me that when they visit a lawyer, they feel the need for an interpreter just to understand their attorney or the legal documents put before them!”
He gives some examples of absurdity, and then notes, “I view legalese as an unnecessary barrier between lawyers and the rest of society. Sure, every occupation has its technical jargon — don’t ask me if I understood everything that my mechanic told me recently — but attorneys are in the business of communication.”
By and large, lawyers are stilled trained to write in hifalutin fashion — the fewer who can understand what you’ve written, the better!
Some notables on Clarity v. Obscurity:
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.
– Charles Mingus
To be simple is to be great.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
– Leonardo DaVinci
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
– Albert Einstein
7 October 2007 at 20:24
This week: Make the complicated simple…
Jazz legend Charles Mingus is quoted as saying, Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. This week, whenever you write something, look for an opportunity to simplify the complic…