What is POFP?

Why do lawyers refer to long documents as briefs and
18-year olds as infants? Why do they use so much Latin when so few of their
clients are Ancient Romans? Is it a conspiracy?


Party of the First Part has the answers! Check out the Website for the
Legalese Hall of Shame; a glossary of legal words linked to Adam Freedman's
columns; tips on writing legal documents in plain English; and more!



Saturday, August 25, 2007

Update on The Golden Gobbledygook Award


Thanks to the following blogs that have mentioned The Golden Gobbledygook Award:


As a reminder - we're looking for bad legalese. Exquisitely bad. Kind of like the Bulwer-Lytton Prize for the worst opening line of prose ("It was a dark and stormy night. . . . ").


To enter the competition, send me the best example of bad legalese you can find -- you can either post an entry here at the blog, or email me at adamjfreedman@yahoo.com.

The winning entry and runners-up will be posted to the Hall Of Shame on the POFP website -- and the person who submits the winning entry will get a signed copy of my new book, as well as the new audio book from star podcaster Grammar Girl, Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman, and Lifting the Fog of Legalese by Joseph Kimble.

Good luck!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Adam, does it have to be written by a lawyer or can it be from a pro se plaintiff?

Adam Freedman said...

It can be written by a pro se plaintiff . . . maybe a pro se plaintiff who is trying a little too hard to sound like a lawyer??

Anyway, send it in!

Anonymous said...

Adam,
I mentioned your contest on my blog:
http://rmjacobsen.squarespace.com/notebook/2007/9/4/the-golden-gobbledygook-award.html

Thanks for doing this. I'm looking forward to seeing the winning entries.

Adam Freedman said...

Thanks Roy!

I've received some great entries, but the competition is still wide open . . .

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