Rules For Legal Writing in Acls I

RULES FOR LEGAL WRITING IN
ACLS I & II
1. Submissions are typed (unless in-class workshop assignments), double
spaced, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font with one-inch margins. Put
your name and date on every submission.
2. The following writing rules are mandatory for all submissions:
a) Make your sentences easy and simple to understand. All sentences must be
Subject/Verb form (subject of sentence first, then verb form; “The boy hit the
ball;” “The defendant struck the plaintiff”);
b) Cut down on the action/s in the sentence. While two (2) would be preferred,
never use more than three (3) verbs, verb forms, or verb-like words that carry
action (e.g., “…ing” words) per sentence. Avoid “but/however/and/or” in a
sentence and write two or three short sentences rather than one long sentence.
For example, note the verb forms and action-carrying words (8 total) underlined in
the following sentence; “The boy hit the ball, and was going to run the bases, but
fell before he rounded first base, making a fool of himself in front of his screaming
teammates who were very disappointed.” Here’s how you might break up this run-
on sentence; “The boy hit the ball, and was going to run the bases. He fell before
he rounded first base, making a fool of himself. His screaming teammates were
very disappointed.”
c) Avoid run-on sentences, no sentence should be more than two full lines of
text. Most should be no more one full line. Write two or three short sentences
rather than one long sentence;
d) NEVER USE THE PRONOUNS “IT” OR “THIS” IN A SENTENCE UNLESS
ACCOMPANIED BY THE NOUN MODIFIED BY “IT” OR “THIS.” For
example, never write; “This would indicate…”. Instead, write; “This
reasoning/holding/opinion, etc. would indicate.” Never write; “This shows that…”.
Instead write; “This example/picture/explanation, etc. shows that...” Never write;
“She didn’t see it.” Instead write; “She didn’t see the accident/stop sign/warning,
etc.” Never write; “It doesn’t matter.” Instead write; “Your failure to show up on
time doesn’t matter.”
 Avoiding “it” and “this” in a sentence without the noun being modified next to
these pronouns lessens the amount of confusion, misplaced modifiers and lack
of rigor and precision in your writing. For example, if I ask you, “What is this/it
about?” do you know what “this” or “it” refers to? Now, suppose I ask you,
“What is the ‘it/this’ legal writing rule about? You now know the rule is about
avoiding confusion for your reader. (Tránh dùng “it” và “this” trong câu mà
không có danh từ được bổ nghĩa bên cạnh các đại từ này sẽ làm giảm mức độ
nhầm lẫn, các từ bổ nghĩa không đúng chỗ và thiếu sự chặt chẽ và chính xác
trong bài viết của bạn. Ví dụ, nếu tôi hỏi bạn, “This/it nói về điều gì?”, bạn có
biết “this” hoặc “it” ám chỉ điều gì không? Bây giờ, giả sử tôi hỏi bạn, “Quy
tắc viết hợp pháp ‘it/this’ nói về điều gì? Bây giờ bạn đã biết quy tắc này là về
việc tránh gây nhầm lẫn cho người đọc của bạn.)
e) Write short paragraphs. Use no more than four, and in exceptional
circumstances, five sentences in each paragraph. No paragraph should be
more than ten full lines of text. Ever. (Viết các đoạn văn ngắn. Không sử
dụng quá bốn câu và trong những trường hợp ngoại lệ, năm câu trong mỗi
đoạn văn. Không đoạn văn nào được dài hơn mười dòng văn bản đầy đủ.
Không bao giờ.)
f) All paragraphs must have a thesis sentence (if you are making an argument) or
topic sentence (if you are describing). If you are writing more than one
paragraph, all your paragraphs must have a transition sentence. Transition
sentences can go at the beginning of a paragraph, followed by the thesis or topic
sentence, or the transition can be worked into the opening thesis or topic sentence.
Transition sentences are rarely placed at the end of a paragraph, and never in the
middle. All paragraphs must have a closure sentence that ties up loose ends. (Câu
chuyển tiếp có thể đứng đầu đoạn văn, theo sau là câu luận đề hoặc câu chủ đề,
hoặc câu chuyển tiếp có thể được đưa vào câu luận đề hoặc câu chủ đề mở đầu.)
g) Together, all the paragraphs of your story must combine to meet the following
three essential guidelines for all legal writing: Tell them what you are going to
say; say it; tell them what you said.
h) Never use passive voice (bị động). For example, never write; “The ball was
hit by the boy.” Instead, write; “The boy hit the ball.” Less wordy/more
direct, action focused on doer, not receiver.
i) Submissions are typed (unless in-class workshop assignments), double spaced,
using Times New Roman 12 pt. font or comparable font with one inch
margins. Put your name and date on every submission.

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