Textbook on Legal Language and Legal Writing by Prof Dr K L Bhatia – Edition 2016

Description

The book “Legal Language and Legal Writing” relates to some of the basic postulates of law, viz., What is legal language? Does it possess some technical and legalese expressions? Does it contain a simple way of expression to communicate? Whether the role of language within law imperative or essential? Whether the law-language interrelationship or interdependence approach to the philosophy of legal language covered in the jurisprudential debate? Whether the answers to these questions solely depend on a particular rule of interpretation? These are some of the inquisitive inquiries that a beginner is encountered with while pursuing legal studies at a law school. Legal language and legal writing helps in developing the communication, both oral as well as written, and also contributes in honing one’s skills as a lawyer so that one can think as a lawyer, talk as a lawyer and write as a lawyer. Law is both a product of as well as dependent on language, therefore, there seems to be a mutual reflection of law and language on each other through different devices, which create an inseparable, immutable, imperishable and a special inter se relationship between law and the language. In order to learn legal language one does not require to be taught the rules of English grammar and thus prevents the niche law students from becoming slaves of such grammar. Command over the language is very vital and is an essential quality of a lawyer enabling him in not only drafting his pleadings but also presenting his arguments in a court of law. Efficiency of an advocate can be gauged to a substantial extent from his communications skills, and as such a niche law student should be well conversed with the legal terminology. Precision, clarity and cogence are the governing principles of both legal dialogue as well as legal writing and the Text Book on Legal Language and Legal Writing would equip him with the faculty of articulation as well as sound writing skills.