Why Can't You Just Say That?
After recently completing a six week trial, I had lunch with several friends. Anxious to hear the results, my girlfriend asked “What happened?” I proudly replied, “Plaintiffs’ verdict for almost $15M.” She responded, “What does that mean?”
“We won!”
Then another friend chimed in, “Why can’t you just say that?”
I explained that our brain injured client brought the case as the “plaintiff” and the decision the jury reached in his favor was the “verdict”. (My husband thinks my friends don’t watch enough T.V.)
Although as attorneys we are constantly reminded to use plain English, the sad truth is – we don’t. Some would think we get paid by the syllable. But commentators often remark that trial attorneys must retrain themselves to speak simply and concisely. As I blog, I’ll do my best to cut through the legal jargon and discuss legal issues and topics in a straightforward way.
