Legal Drafting : Process, Techniques, and Exercises

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ISBN: 9780314144263 | 0314144269
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 7/1/2003

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Haggard's Legal Drafting in a Nutshell provides guidelines for producing documents that serve the client's needs, solve existing problems, and prevent future problems. Authoritative coverage overviews the general drafting process and offers tips on getting started. Provides guidelines for drafting within the law and choosing the proper concept. Also identifies ambiguities, definitions, and drafting ethics.

Preface

PART I. INTRODUCTION

A Philosophy of Drafting

(32)

The Characteristics of Good Legal Writing

(6)

Accuracy

(2)

Clarity

(1)

Concision

(2)

Simplicity

(1)

Tone

(1)

Three Types of Legal Writing

(3)

Discoursive Writing

(1)

Litigation-Related Writing

(1)

Normative Writing

(1)

The Ultimate Consequence of Drafted Documents

(2)

Drafting as a Facilitator of Self-Government and Economic Enterprise

(1)

Drafting as a Form of Preventive Lawyering

(1)

Drafting as an Intellectual Exercise

(6)

Knowledge of the Law

(2)

Investigation

(1)

Conceptualization

(2)

Prescience

(1)

Organization

(1)

Drafting as a Literary Exercise

(3)

Words

(2)

Sentences

(1)

Other Word Construction Techniques

(1)

Headings

(1)

Drafting as an Ethical Exercise

(2)

The Costs of Bad Drafting

(2)

Social Costs

(1)

Client Costs

(1)

Drafter Costs

(1)

Drafting From Scratch

(3)

Contract Drafting

(22)

The Role of the Contract Drafter

(1)

Recurring Problems in Contract Drafting

(6)

Unintended Contracts

(2)

Documents Intended to be Contracts That Fail

(1)

Contracts Containing Gaps

(1)

Ambiguous and Unnecessarily Vague Terms

(1)

Unanticipated Events

(1)

Types of Contracts

(1)

The Parts of a Contract

(11)

Caption or Heading

(1)

Introductory Paragraph

(1)

Recitals

(2)

Definitions

(1)

Substantive Provisions

(1)

Housekeeping Provisions

(5)

Signature Blocks

(1)

Date

(1)

Notarization

(1)

An Appendix

(1)

Amending Contracts

(3)

Legislative Drafting

(30)

Who Drafts Legislation?

(1)

The Functions of the Legislative Drafter

(3)

Legislation Compared to Private-Law Documents

(11)

Nature and Size of the Audience

(2)

The Need for Precision

(1)

Policy Considerations

(1)

The Need for Factual Data

(1)

Political Considerations

(1)

Fitting the Document Into an Existing Body of Law

(1)

Legal Limits

(3)

Legislative History

(1)

Form, Style, and Usage

(1)

The Parts of a Statute

(7)

Title

(1)

Enacting Clause

(1)

Short Title Section

(1)

Findings

(1)

Definitions

(1)

Substantive Provisions

(1)

Enforcement Mechanisms

(1)

Remedies or Penalties

(1)

Housekeeping Provisions

(2)

Amending Statutes

(8)

When Are Amendments Drafted?

(1)

The Parts of an Amendment

(1)

What Amendments Do

(3)

Amendments Changing a Judicial Interpretation or Construction

(3)

The Rules of Interpretation

(29)

Statutory Rules

(2)

Common Law Rules

(26)

Intent Controls

(1)

The Plain Meaning or Four Corners Rule

(2)

The Mischief Rule and Other Evidences of Intent

(1)

Effect on Drafters

(2)

The Rule of Strict Construction

(1)

Criminal Statutes

(1)

Statutes in Derogation of the Common Law

(1)

Statutes Depriving a Court of Jurisdiction

(1)

Statutes in Derogation of Sovereignty

(1)

The Rule of Liberal Construction

(1)

The Rule of Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius

(3)

The Rule of Ejusdem Generis

100

(2)

The Rule of Noscitur a Sociis

102

(1)

The Rule of Reddendo Singula Singulis

103

(1)

The Rule of Last Modification

104

(1)

The Rule That Handwritten Words Prevail Over Typed or Printed Words

104

(1)

The Rule That Written Amounts Prevail Over Arabic Number Amounts

105

(1)

The Rule That Specific Statutes Prevail Over General Statutes

106

(1)

The Borrowed Language Rule

106

(1)

The Rule Favoring Agency Interpretation

107

(1)

The Rule That a Document Must Be Read as a Whole

108

(1)

The Rule of Construing Statutes in Pari Materia

108

(2)

The Rule Disfavoring Repeals By Implication

110

(1)

The Rule of Lex Posterior Derogat Priori

111

(1)

The Rule of Construing a Document Against the Drafter

111

(1)

The Rule of Adopting a Construction That Favors Validity

112

(1)

The Rule Favoring the Construction of Contracts in a Manner Consistent With Public Policy

113

(1)

Drafting Ethics

114

(29)

Solicitation

114

(2)

Advertising Specialization or Concentration

115

(1)

Mass Mailings

115

(1)

Solicitation of Former Clients, Family, and Friends

115

(1)

Competence and Diligence

116

(2)

Scope of Representation

118

(5)

Objectives and Means

118

(2)

Criminal, Fraudulent, and Prohibited Transactions

120

(3)

Communication

123

(1)

Fees

124

(1)

Confidentiality

125

(4)

Ethical Requirements

125

(2)

Attorney-Client Privilege

127

(2)

Conflict of Interest

129

(8)

Representation Against a Current Client

129

(5)

Representation Against a Former Client

134

(1)

Imputed Disqualification

135

(2)

Former Government Lawyer-Drafters

137

(1)

Dealings With Third Parties

137

(2)

Litigation Ethics

139

(1)

Abetting the Unauthorized Practice of Law

140

(1)

Providing Free Drafting Services

141

(2)

An Overview

143

(17)

Determine the Client's Objectives

143

(2)

Identify the Audience

145

(1)

Explore the Broader Legal and Factual Context of the Document

146

(3)

Research the Law

149

(1)

Determine Substance

150

(1)

Get the Facts

151

(1)

Identify the Proper Legal and Factual Concepts

152

(1)

Develop an Organization

153

(2)

Write the Document

155

(3)

Ambiguities

155

(1)

Rules of Style and Usage

156

(1)

Definitions

156

(1)

Terms Creating Legal Consequences

157

(1)

Format

157

(1)

Review the Document for Substance and Style

158

(1)

Post-Execution Monitoring

159

(1)

PART II. PREPARATION AND PLANNING

Getting Started

160

(20)

Determine Client Objectives

160

(9)

The Basic Question

160

(2)

How the Information Is Used

162

(2)

Objectives From a Variety of Perspectives

164

(1)

Other Parties to the Transaction

164

(1)

Scope of Anticipated Use

165

(1)

Multiple-Client Objectives

166

(2)

Evaluating Client Objectives

168

(1)

Know the Audience

169

(5)

Identify the Audience

170

(1)

Characteristics of the Audience

171

(2)

Accommodating the Various Audiences

173

(1)

Determine the Context of the Document

174

(6)

Legal Context

174

(3)

Factual Context

177

(3)

Drafting Within the Law

180

(14)

Form

180

(3)

Meaning

183

(2)

Substance

185

(4)

Prohibition

185

(1)

Requirement

186

(1)

Permission and Authorization

187

(1)

Denial of Permission or Authorization

188

(1)

Other Consequences

188

(1)

Implied Terms

188

(1)

Creating Legal Checklists

189

(1)

Drafting With Statutory Language in Mind

190

(4)

Determining Substance

194

(24)

Types of Provisions

194

(3)

Required

194

(1)

Going to the Essence of the Transaction

195

(1)

Extremely Important

196

(1)

Optional

197

(1)

Substantive Term Checklists

197

(12)

Commercially Prepared

198

(1)

Drafter Prepared

198

(11)

The Elements of a Legal Rule

209

(4)

The Person

209

(1)

The Conduct

210

(1)

The Object of the Action

210

(1)

The Circumstances

210

(1)

Consequences

211

(2)

Substantive Gaps

213

(5)

Choosing the Right Concept

218

(20)

Definition

218

(1)

The Importance of Concepts in Drafting

219

(1)

Types of Concepts

219

(18)

Legal Concepts

219

(2)

Factual Concepts

221

(1)

General Versus Specific

222

(5)

Vague Versus Precise

227

(7)

Abstract Versus Concrete

234

(2)

Summary

236

(1)

Choosing the Right Word to Reflect the Concept

237

(1)

Organization

238

(12)

Division

238

(5)

Classification

243

(2)

Sequence

245

(5)

Chronological

245

(2)

Importance

247

(1)

Frequency of Occurrence

247

(1)

Familiar Before Unfamiliar

247

(1)

Rules Before Exceptions

248

(1)

What Before How

248

(1)

Substance Before Procedure

248

(2)

PART III. DRAFTING TECHNIQUES

Avoiding Ambiguities

250

(59)

Definition

250

(1)

The Consequences of Ambiguity

250

(2)

Types of Ambiguity

252

(57)

Contextual Ambiguity

252

(4)

Semantic Ambiguity

256

(1)

Homonyms

257

(2)

And

259

(4)

263

(2)

And/Or

265

(3)

Specific Dates

268

(3)

Time Spans

271

(2)

Days, Weeks, Months, and Years

273

(3)

Bimonthly, biannually, bienially, semimonthly, and semiannually

276

(1)

Hours

276

(1)

Relational Words

277

(1)

Ages

278

(1)

Provided that

279

(1)

Legalese

280

(1)

Shall

281

(1)

Among and between

282

(1)

Syntactic Ambiguity

283

(1)

Pronoun Reference

284

(1)

Modifiers

285

(5)

Participals

290

(1)

Chain Prepositions

290

(1)

Negative Pregnants

291

(1)

If . . . then Sentences

291

(4)

Because Clauses

295

(1)

Unless Clauses

295

(2)

Only

297

(1)

Truncated Passive

298

(1)

Which and that

299

(2)

Plural Nouns

301

(2)

Commas and Semi-Colons

303

(6)

Drafting Style & Usage

309

(65)

Consistency

309

(6)

Consistent Terminology

310

(1)

Consistent Grammatical Structure

311

(2)

Consistent Document Structure and Approach

313

(2)

Concision

315

(33)

Unnecessary Content

315

(1)

Repetitious Substance

316

(2)

Redundant Couplets, Triplets, and Other Chain Synonyms

318

(7)

Other Redundant Expressions

325

(1)

Legalese

326

(5)

Compound Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

331

(3)

The fact that

334

(1)

Rhetorical and Transitional Words and Phrases

335

(2)

Of the Phrases

337

(1)

Unnecessary who's, which's, and that's

338

(2)

Redundant Numeration

340

(2)

Expletives

342

(1)

Nominalizations

343

(2)

Passive Voice

345

(1)

To be Verbs

346

(2)

Clarity and Simplicity

348

(18)

Short Sentences

348

(1)

Simple Sentence Structure

348

(3)

Present Tense

351

(1)

Simple, Ordinary Words

351

(4)

Terms of Art

355

(2)

Technical and Trade Terms

357

(2)

Foreign Words and Phrases

359

(1)

Words Ending in -ee and -or

360

(1)

Compound Adjectives and Noun Phrases

360

(1)

Unconventional Capitalization

361

(1)

Unusual Word Order

361

(1)

Positive Versus Negative Expression

362

(1)

Exceptions

363

(1)

Personal Pronouns

364

(1)

Split Infinitives

365

(1)

Gender Specific Language

366

(8)

Definitions

374

(31)

General Principles of Usage

375

(9)

Terms With Established Meanings

376

(1)

Terms of Art and Technical Terms

376

(1)

Humpty-Dumpty Definitions

377

(2)

Circular Definitions

379

(1)

One-Shot Definitions

380

(2)

Definitional Mazes

382

(2)

Substantive Matters

384

(3)

Definitions Incorporated By Reference

387

(1)

Types of Definitions and Terminology

388

(10)

Vest Pocket Definitions

388

(2)

Full Definitions

390

(3)

Partial Definitions

393

(1)

Enlarging Definitions

393

(1)

Limiting Definitions

394

(1)

Combining Full and Partial Definitions

395

(1)

Examples

396

(2)

Methodology

398

(2)

Use More Familiar Terms

398

(1)

Use More Precise Terms

398

(1)

Identify Components

398

(1)

Identify Specific Referents

399

(1)

Indicate Relationship to a Larger Unit

399

(1)

Location

400

(1)

When to Draft Definitions

401

(1)

Testing Definitions

402

(3)

Terms Creating Legal Consequences

405

(28)

The Importance of These Terms

405

(1)

Identifying and Creating the Appropriate Legal Consequences

406

(1)

The Lack of Uniformity

407

(3)

The Suggested Conventions

410

(19)

Duties

410

(1)

Statutory Duties

410

(3)

Privately Created Duties

413

(1)

Negation of Duties

414

(2)

Rights

416

(1)

Negation of Rights

417

(1)

Surrendering Rights or Causes of Action

418

(1)

Privileges

419

(2)

Negation of Privileges

421

(1)

Immunity

422

(1)

Conditions

422

(1)

Definition and Types

422

(3)

Terminology

425

(1)

Exceptions

426

(1)

Terms of Assurance or Warranty

427

(1)

Disclaimer of Warranties

428

(1)

Legal Import

429

(1)

Summary

429

(2)

When Not to Follow These Conventions

431

(2)

Document Typography and Layout

433

(22)

Physical Appearance

433

(8)

White Space

434

(1)

Type Size and Font

434

(2)

All Capitals and Underlining

436

(1)

Line Length

437

(3)

Justification

440

(1)

Line Spacing

440

(1)

Blank Spaces

441

(1)

Text

441

(14)

Table of Contents

442

(1)

Numbered Pages

442

(1)

Numbered or Lettered Paragraph Headings

443

(2)

Lists

445

(1)

Enumerations

446

(4)

Tabbing

450

(1)

Charts and Graphs

451

(2)

Computations

453

(2)

Reviewing and Revising Drafted Documents

455

(19)

Prepare a Flowchart

456

(9)

Review for Substance

465

(3)

Review By the Drafter

465

(1)

Review By Someone Else

466

(1)

Preparing a Summary

467

(1)

Review By the Client

468

(1)

Review for Style and Usage

468

(6)

Proofread the Document

474

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Legal Drafting : Process, Techniques, and Exercises

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials