大家好，小蚁君本周想和大家分享一篇关于如何提高法律英语写作的文章，希望能够给遨游在法律英语知识的宇宙中不知如何前进的朋友们提供一点帮助！

说在前面：

The written word is one of the most important tools of the legal profession. Words are used to advocate, inform, persuade, and instruct. Although mastering legal drafting takes time and practice, superior writing skills are essential to success, and you can take steps to improve yours.

书面文字是法律职业最重要的工具之一。语言是用来进行宣传、通知、说服和指导的。虽然掌握法律写作需要一定的时间和练习，但卓越的写作技巧是通向成功的关键，你可以采取下列措施来提高自己能力。

Remember Your Audience

记得你的受众

Every word you write should be tailored to the needs of the reader. Documents that embody the same research and message may vary greatly in content and tone based on the document’s intended audience. For example, a brief submitted to the court must advocate and persuade. A memorandum to a client must analyze the issues, report the state of the law, and recommend an appropriate course of action. Always keep your audience in mind when crafting any piece of writing.

你写的每一个字都应该根据受众的需要量身定制。根据文档的目标受众，体现相同研究和信息的文档在内容和语气方面可能会有很大差异。例如，提交给法院的简报必须力求拥护并说服某一观点；给客户的备忘录必须分析问题、报告法律状况并提供适当的行动方案建议。在写作任何一篇文章时，请始终牢记您的受众。

Organize Your Writing

组织你的写作逻辑

Organization is the key to successful legal writing. Create a roadmap for your writing by using visual clues to guide the reader. Introduce your subject in an introductory paragraph, use transitional phrases (“furthermore,”“however,”“in addition,” etc.) between each paragraph, introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence, and use headings and subheadings to break up blocks of text. Limit each paragraph to one topic, and sum up your message with a concluding sentence or paragraph. Organizational structure guides the reader through your text and promotes readability.

组织逻辑是法律写作成功的关键。如，使用视觉提示指导读者，为您的写作创建路线图；在介绍性段落中介绍您的主题，在每个段落之间使用过渡短语（“此外”，“然而”，“另外”等），使用主题句引入每个段落，并使用标题和子标题来分解文本；将每个段落限制为一个主题，并使用结束语或段落来总结您的信息。有组织逻辑的篇章结构可引导读者更好地阅读您的文本并提高其可读性。

Ditch The Legalese

抛弃不必要的法律用语

Legalese — specialized legal phrases and jargon — can make your writing abstract, stilted, and archaic. Examples of legalese include words such as aforementioned, herewith, heretofore, and wherein. Ditch unnecessary legalese and other jargon in favor of the clear and simple. To avoid legalese and promote clarity, try reading your sentence to a colleague or substituting abstract words with simple, concrete terms. For example, instead of using “I am in receipt of your correspondence,” use “I received your letter.” It's clearer and more succinct.

Legalese——专业的法律用语和行话——会使你的写作抽象、呆板和陈旧。包括诸如“前述的”、“用此方法”、“迄今为止”以及“在其中”等词语。抛弃不必要的法律用语和其他行话，可使表述清晰简单。为了避免不必要的法律用语并提高表达清晰度，请尝试将您的句子念给同事，或用简单、具体的术语代替抽象词。例如，不要使用“I am in receipt of your correspondence”，而是使用“I received your letter.”后者更清晰、更简洁。

Be Concise

简明扼要

Every word you write should contribute to your message. Omit extraneous words, shorten complex sentences, eliminate redundancies, and keep it simple.

Consider the following sentence:

“Due to the fact that the defendant has not attempted to pay back the money owed to our client in the amount of $3,000 it has become absolutely essential that we take appropriate legal action in order to obtain payment of the aforesaid amount.”

A more concise version reads: “Since the defendant has not paid the $3,000 owed our client, we will file a lawsuit seeking reimbursement.” The latter sentence conveys the same information in 18 words versus 44. Omitting unnecessary words helps clarify the meaning of the sentence and adds impact.

你写的每一个字都应该有助于你要表达的信息。省略无关的单词，缩短复杂的句子，消除冗余，并保持简单。

请看以下句子：

“Due to the fact that the defendant has not attempted to pay back the money owed to our client in the amount of $3,000 it has become absolutely essential that we take appropriate legal action in order to obtain payment of the aforesaid amount.”

更简洁的版本如下：

“Since the defendant has not paid the $3,000 owed our client, we will file a lawsuit seeking reimbursement.”

后一句用18个单词而不是44个单词表达了同样的信息。省略不必要的单词有助于使句意更清晰并更好地传递信息。

Use Action Words

使用动词

Action words make your legal prose more powerful, dynamic, and vivid. Add punch to your writing with verbs that bring your prose to life. Here are a few examples:

Weak: The defendant was not truthful.

Better: The defendant lied.

Weak: The witness quickly came into the courtroom.

Better: The witness bolted into the courtroom.

Weak: The judge was very angry.

Better: The judge was enraged.

使用动词可使您的法律写作显得更有力量、更有活力、更加生动。在写作中使用动词使您的文章变得更加生动形象。

这里有一些例子：

较差：The defendant was not truthful.被告不诚实。

更好：The defendant lied.被告撒了谎。

较差：The witness quickly came into the courtroom.证人很快进入了法庭。

更好：The witness bolted into the courtroom.目击者狂奔进了法庭。

较差：The judge was very angry.法官非常生气。

更好：The judge was enraged.法官被激怒了。

Avoid Passive Voice

避免被动语态

Passive voice disguises responsibility for an act by eliminating the subject of the verb. Active voice, on the other hand, tells the reader who is doing the acting and clarifies your message. For example, instead of “the filing deadline was missed,” say “plaintiff’s counsel missed the filing deadline.” Instead of “a crime was committed,” say “the defendant committed the crime.”

被动语态通过消除动词的主语来掩盖对行为的责任。反之，主动语态告诉读者谁在做什么事并使你的信息更明晰。例如，应写“plaintiff’s counsel missed the filing deadline”，而不是“the filing deadline was missed”。应写“the defendant committed the crime”，而不是“a crime was committed”。

Edit Ruthlessly

毫不留情地编辑

Edit your writing ruthlessly, omitting unnecessary words and rewriting for clarity. Careful proofreading is particularly important in legal writing. Spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in a document submitted to the court, opposing counsel or a client can undermine your credibility as a legal professional.

毫不留情地编辑你的文章，省略不必要的单词并进行重写以保持文义清晰。仔细的校对在法律写作中尤为重要。提交给法院、对方律师或客户的文件中的拼写、标点符号或语法错误可能会降低您作为法律专业人士的可信度。

上文提到的这些问题，是否曾在你撰写英文法律文章时出现过呢？欢迎大家在留言区交流~

（本文转自公众号“律蚁语言服务社”，已获授权）