Plain Legal English Resources

Free online books

• Essentials for Drafting Clear Legal Rules, Garner and Kimble: website | pdf

• Plain English Lexicon: A guide to whether your words will be understood, Martin Cutts: website | pdf

• The A to Z of alternative words, The Plain English Campaign: website | pdf

• Clarifying EU Regulations, Martin Cutts and Emma Wagner: website | pdf

Plain language organisations for plain legal English

• Clarity

Plain English style guides

• Federal Plain Language Guidelines: website | pdf

• The Security and Exchange Commission, A Plain English Handbook: link | pdf

• The Adobe Legal Department Style Guide: website | pdf

• European Commission English Style Guide - A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission: link | pdf

• Plain English Campaign, How to write in plain English:  website | pdf

Research

• PNAS: Even lawyers don't like legalese

• The Public Speaks An Empirical Study of Legal Communication 

• Why George Orwell's Ideas About Language Still Matter for Lawyers

• The Rise of Plain Language Laws 

• Communicating Governance Will Plain English Drafting Improve Regulation 

• Flimsy Claims for Legalese and False Criticisms of Plain Language: A 30-Year Collection

• The Duty to Make Contracts Understandable

• The Pros Know: Plain Language Is Just Good Writing

• Plain Language in Healthcare: What Lawyers Need to Know About Health Literacy 

• Plain Language Patents

• A Compliance Guide to Pennsylvania's 'Plain English' Consumer Contract Law 

• Plain Language in New Zealand: The Drafting of Legislation

• The Case of the Serial Comma: What Can Plain-Language Drafting Tell Legislative Drafters?