Plain English for Lawyers (5th Edition)

CarolinaAcademicPresswillpublishthefiftheditionofRichardWydick'sPlainEnglishforLawyersintimeforuseinthefallof2005.Wydick'slittlebookhasbeenafavoriteoflawstudents，legalwritingteachers，lawyers，andjudgesforover25years.LastJanuary，theLegalWritingInstitutegaveWydickitsGoldenPenAwardforhavingwrittenPlainEnglishforLawyers.TheLegalWritingInstituteisanon-profitorganizationthatprovidesaforumfordiscussionandscholarshipaboutlegalwriting，analysis，andresearch.TheInstitutehasover1，300membersrepresentingalloftheABA-accreditedlawschoolsintheUnitedStates.Itsmembershipalsoincludeslawteachersfromothernations，Englishteachers，andpracticinglawyers.TheLWIawardstates：“PlainEnglishforLawyers...hasbecomeaclassic.Perhapsnosingleworkhasdonemoretoimprovethewritingoflawyersandlawstudentsandtopromotethemoderntrendtowardaclear，plainstyleoflegalwriting.”In2003Wydickretiredafter32yearsonthelawfacultyoftheUniversityofCalifornia，Davis.Buthestillteacheshisfavoritecourse—aseminarinadvancedlegalwritingforthird-yearlawstudents.ForthepasteightsummershehasalsolecturedattheInternationalLegislativeDraftingInstitutepresentedinNewOrleansbythePublicLawCenter，ajointventureofTulaneandLoyolalawschools.Theretheaudienceconsistsoflawyersandnon-lawyersfromabroadwhoearntheirlivingdraftinglegislationinmanydifferentlanguages.“TeachingattheInstitute，”Wydicksays，“isapreciousopportunitytolearnhowmuchweEnglish-usershaveincommonwithpeoplewhowritelawsinotherlanguages.”HowwillthefiftheditionofPlainEnglishforLawyersdifferfromitspredecessors?Wydickpromisesthatitwillremainalittlebook，smallenoughandpalatableenoughnottointimidateover-loadedlawstudents.“Mostofthetextwillremainthesame，”Wydicksays，“butinthepastsevenyearsI'velearnedsomenewthingsaboutwritinginEnglish，andIwanttosharethatwiththereaders.”Inaddition，theexercisesattheendofthechapterswillbedifferent(awelcomechangeforlong-timeteacherswhoaretiredoftheoldones).Finally，theteacher'smanualwillincludeadditionalexercisesthatteacherscangivetostudentswhowantorneedextrapractice.