In this third and final article on legal writing, the focus will be on three very different aspects of effective communication. These three aspects are formatting documents with good design, using active voice rather than passive voice, and avoiding legalese while making a note of “trouble” words.

January 2021 DEI Article
"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: An Inspirational Champion of Equity"
Written by Bobby T. Rimas, Associate Professor

In this second article on the topic of writing, let us take a look at the principles around capitalization, grammar (vague pronouns, subject-verb agreement), spelling, symbols, and quotations. We will also revisit punctuation, which was the primary topic of “The Mechanics of Writing, A Series – Part One.” However, here we will focus on the apostrophe, exclamation mark, and quotation mark, while revisiting the slash.

December 2020 DEI Article
"Sitting at the Table"
Written by Adrienne D. Berry, CP

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the celebration of our country’s National American Indian Heritage Month, NALA would like to celebrate and honor the important contributions, rich heritage, and diverse culture of our nation’s first people. The month of November is a time to educate and bring awareness to our native population, the challenges they continue to face, and their immeasurable contributions to our nation.

“I think I’ve got the black lung, pop,” said Derek Zoolander. “For God’s sake Derek, you were down there one day!” replied Larry Zoolander. Ben Stiller’s role in Zoolander from 2001 leaves much to be desired overall, but just as in our office, black lung is commonly referenced.