Your prose should be tight, toned and vigorous if you want to engage rather than repel your reader.
Too often, though, lawyers resort to flabby and lethargic constructions like these:
- Please be advised that … [omit and just give the damn advice]
- make available [offer, provide]
- … when I am able [heard on voicemail and seen in out-of-office replies; do people think when I can is too colloquial? it’s perfectly good]
- quoted as saying [this always sounds like either I’m not saying that this person actually said this (in case I get into trouble for suggesting that) but she has been reported (by others!) to have said … or just I haven’t bothered to check, but …]
- duly authorised [something can’t be unduly authorised, can it? duly authorised is a redundancy]
