From correctness to clarity
From one shot to learning path
The learning path to clear writing at the
University of Antwerp
Clear Law Conference
Oslo, 14 April 2015
Prof. dr. Karl Hendrickx, University of Antwerp and
University of Leuven, Belgian Court of Audit
Complaints about legalese…
Thomas More, Utopia (Leuven, 1516):
They have but few laws, and such is their constitution
that they need not many. They very much condemn
other nations, whose laws, together with the
commentaries on them, swell up to so many volumes;
for they think it an unreasonable thing to oblige men to
obey a body of laws that are both of such a bulk, and so
dark as not to be read and understood by every one of
the subjects.
They have no lawyers among them, for they consider
them as a sort of people whose profession it is to
disguise matters […] Everyone of them is skilled in their
law, for as it is a very short study, so the plainest
meaning of which words are capable is always the sense
of their laws […] for it is all one, not to make a law at all,
or to couch it in such terms that without a quick
apprehension and much study, a man cannot find out the
true meaning of it.
2
Complaints about legalese…
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s
Travels, part IV, chapter 5
(1726):
I said there was a Society of Men
among us, bred up from their Youth in
the Art of proving by Words multiplied
for the Purpose, that White is Black,
and Black is White, according as they
are paid […]
It is likewise observed that this Society
has a peculiar Cant and Jargon of their
own, that no other Mortal can
understand, and wherein all their Laws
are written, which they take special
care to multiply.
3
Complaints about legalese…
King Charles XII of Sweden,
1713, orders that:
The Royal Chancellery in all
written documents endeavour
to write in clear and plain
Swedish and not to use, as far
as possible, foreign words.
4
Complaints about legalese…
Montesquieu, De l’esprit des
lois, ‘Choses à observer dans
la composition des lois’, 1748:
Le style des lois doit être simple:
l’expression directe s’entend toujours
mieux que l’expression réfléchie;
les lois ne doivent point être subtiles;
elles sont faites pour des gens de
médiocre entendement: elles ne sont
point un art de logique, mais la raison
simple d’un père de famille.
5
Clarity remains a challenge
“Do you think justice in Belgium is trustworthy?”
120%
100%
80%
41%
66%
61%
60%
Positive
40%
Negative
59%
20%
34%
40%
0%
2002
2007
Sources: Justitiebarometers 2002, 2007 en 2010
http://www.belgium.be/nl/publicaties/publ_justitiebarometer-2010.jsp
2010
Clarity remains a challenge
“Do you think the legal language is sufficiently clear?”
120%
100%
26%
24%
80%
28%
60%
40%
Positive
74%
76%
72%
20%
0%
2002
Sources: Justitiebarometers 2002, 2007 en 2010
http://www.belgium.be/nl/publicaties/publ_justitiebarometer-2010.jsp
2007
2010
Negative
Clarity remains a challenge
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exaggerated delays
Complex language
High costs
Impervious nature of legal system
Distant behaviour of legal
professionals
Lack of information about case
Lack of communication
‘Class justice’
(Non-existent) place in the legal
system
Sources: Justitiebarometers 2002, 2007 en 2010
http://www.belgium.be/nl/publicaties/publ_justitiebarometer-2010.jsp
8
Clarity remains a challenge
Law is a profession of words
(D. Mellinkoff, The Language of the Law, 1963)
Good language proficiency = necessary
9
Training students:
one shot or learning path?
• Students are important target group
• Most Belgian law programs have compulsory
clear writing course
• Often too early (first / second year) and too
limited to have lasting effect
•
Historical background:
Bilingual Belgium
1830 independence:
Belgian Constitution: freedom of
language
• 19th C:
Government / public sector:
only French
• 20th C:
Learning Dutch – developing
legal Dutch
• 20th C:
Focus on correctness
• End of 20th C:
Shift of focus towards clarity
11
Training students:
one shot or learning path?
• Instead of one-shot course, continuous
attention in learning path
• Continuous and consistent marking of clear
language in essays
• Uniform marking methods and marking forms
Language skills=
pivotal competence
• Language skills = pivotal competence bachelor
of laws
The bachelor of laws can express himself adequately in
the Dutch language, both in speaking and in writing.
He is familiar with the legal language, both in Dutch as in
French, English and German.
The bachelor of laws can formulate a legal reasoning
correctly and construct an elementary legal
argumentation. He can draft simple legal texts and
reports with a legal approach
(Pivotal competences of the bachelor of laws, University of Antwerp)
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Language skills=
pivotal competence
• Language skills = pivotal competence master
of laws
The master of laws can formulate a legally well-founded
argument and can defend claims in a discussion with
scientifically founded arguments, both in speaking and in
writing.
He can draw up clearly written reports and hold oral
presentations, both adapted to his target audience.
(Pivotal competences of the bachelor of laws, University of Antwerp)
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Learning path language skills
• Language skills:
- Language: speaking and writing
- Skills: integrated in all courses of all
years, especially from the third year
onwards
 Integrated approach: learning path
- Speaking skills since 2009
- Writing skills since 2010
15
Learning path writing skills
First bachelor year
• Language proficiency test
• Legal heuristics
• Legal language proficiency
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Learning path writing skills
First bachelor year
• Language proficiency test
- Detect insufficient proficiency in academic Dutch
- Individual feedback with standard form
- Individual follow-up by specialised centre if necessary
• Legal heuristics
- Writing a short legal note based on heuristic research
- Attention to: structure, sources, writing style, spelling
17
Learning path writing skills
First bachelor year
• Legal language proficieny:
- Yes:
• In-depth knowledge of the problems of legal language
• Focus on comprehensible, clear and correct texts, suited
for target audience and message
- No:
• Remedy basic proficiency Dutch
• Study legal jargon
• Correct common language and spelling errors
- Textbook = source of marking instructions
learning path
18
Learning path writing skills
Second bachelor year
• Legal writing course:
- Letter to a client / press release / legal essay
- Distinction language for lawyers / non-lawyers
- Attention to correct legal analysis and
comprehensibility
• Structure
• Language, writing style, spelling
19
Learning path writing skills
Third bachelor year
• Legal ‘practicals’:
- Paper: solving a legal case
- Executive note: formulate a legal argument +
advice / solution succinctly, clearly and correctly
20
Learning path writing skills
Master years
• In-depth legal courses:
- Writing a report that is clear and suited for the
target audience
- Two kinds of writing assignments:
• Papers about the comprehension of the legal material in
the courses
• Papers about the comprehension and the communication
of the legal material, e.g report on the practical training
period, legal records
21
Learning path writing skills
• Master’s thesis:
Master years
3 main competences:
1. Legal knowledge
2. Writing skills
- Clear writing style
- Correct language use
- Correct terminology
3. Communicative and organisational skills
-
Organisation en communication
Politeness and professionalism
22
Learning path writing skills
Conclusion
• Writing skills = pivotal competence throughout
whole study program
• Attention to
• Clarity
• Correctness
• Target audience
23
Learning path writing skills
Marking
• General impression
+ Fast, easy, reliable
- Feedback, norm
shifting, subjective
• Primary trait
+ Fast, to the point
- Incomplete, feedback
24
Learning path writing skills
Marking
• Analytical
+ Objective, measurable
- Complex, time consuming
 Uniform criteria for the whole law program:
 Central marking guide
 Central marking form
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Learning path writing skills
Uniform criteria and marking forms
Ref.
Aandachtspunt
Opmerkingen
Inhoud
Worden de relevante feiten correct en volledig weergegeven?
Beoordeling
40
Worden de argumenten correct weergegeven?
Wordt het rechterlijk gewijsde juist geformuleerd?
Is het rechtsprobleem correct weergegeven en goed gesitueerd?
Is de juridische analyse volledig en juist geanalyseerd?
Ligt de focus op het kernprobleem?
Zijn de discussiepunten in de rechtsleer en de rechtspraktijk correct
verwerkt?
Zitten er inhoudelijke tegenstrijdigheden in?
Geen nutteloze uitweidingen?
Is er een goede vergelijking tussen de oplossing in rechtelijke uitspraken
en resultaten van de eigen analyse?
Stemt de evaluatie van de uitspraak overeen met de resultaten van de
juridische analyse?
Opbouw
Zit er een duidelijke strategie in de opbouw van het werkstuk?
20
Respecteert de student de logica van het …recht?
Is de tekst duidelijk en goed gestructureerd opgebouwd?
Specific to assignment:
• Contents
• Structure
• Source
Is het werkstuk volledig?
Bronnen
Zijn de gevonden bronnen relevant?
15
Ontbreken er belangrijke relevante bronnen?
Zijn de bronnen op een correcte en doeltreffende wijze verwerkt?
Is de bronvermelding conform het V&A-boekje?
Identical for all assignments:
Formulering lexicaal:
te veel zware / ambtelijke woorden
gallicismen, purismen en andere taalfouten.
correcte en duidelijke terminologie
Formulering grammaticaal:
te veel naamwoordstijl
te veel passief
te veel omslachtige formuleringen
te lange zinnen
andere constructiefouten
Formulering stilistisch
te ambtelijke, hoogdravende schrijfstijl
te informele, vriendschappelijke schrijfstijl
ongepaste stijlbreuken en stijlcontrasten
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•
•
•
•
Vocabulary
Grammar
Style
Spelling
Spelling
dt-fouten
andere spelfouten
Algemene opmerkingen:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
General remarks
Learning path writing skills
Uniform criteria and marking forms
Criterion
Content
Is the legal analysis correctly
presented?
Has the legal analysis been
sufficiently developed?
Are the arguments used,
relevant?
Has the student been sufficiently
creative in the search for a
solution?
Does the student show a
sufficiently critical approach?
Structure
Comments
Mark
Specific to
assignment:
• Contents
• Structure
• Source
Learning path writing skills
Uniform criteria and marking forms
Lexical problems
Too many archaic or pompous words
Non-standard language
Too many vague or ambiguous words
Unnecessary use of jargon or Latin
Incorrect use of jargon
Grammatical problems
Too many nominalisations
Too many passive sentences
Too many wordy phrases
Too long sentences
Grammar errors
Style problems
Too much officialese
Too much informal style
Incoherent style
Spelling errors
Identical for all
assignments:
•
•
•
•
Vocabulary
Grammar
Style
Spelling
Learning path writing skills
Uniform criteria and marking forms
• Uniform
-
-
Vertical (whole law program)
Horizontal (whole law faculty)
• Improves learning effect
-
“Sérieux”
Recognisable and returning
Detailed and explicit feedback
Evolution visible: stimulus for improvement
• Objective and efficient
-
1 teacher: prevents biases, unconscious influence
Several teachers / markers for 1 assignment: more uniform and objective
• Well-Balanced
-
Perfect legal analysis + large spelling errors <-> perfect formulation + dodgy
analysis
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Thank you for your
attention!
More information:
[email protected]