eNews: Court
Recognized for its leadership in providing transparency and accountability in the judicial appointment process, BC’s Judicial Council has released its 20th Annual Report. Again this year, the Report includes statistics on applicants for judicial appointments to the British Columbia Provincial Court and their demographics – gender, age, experience, residential region, and ethnic background.
Speaking and writing in plain language doesn’t mean using only two-syllable words or “dumbing down” your message. It doesn’t force you to omit complex information. Instead, it involves analyzing what you want to say to determine what information your audience needs, organizing it logically, using words at a level your audience can understand, and presenting it so it’s easy to read.
In law school, students learn to understand and use legal terminology that can convey a legal principle in just a few words. As they become expert at legal jargon, they find using it quicker and clearer than trying to explain things accurately using ordinary language and simple terms. Why then, should lawyers and judges spend the time and effort to use plain language?
Because …
Sometimes a trial doesn’t finish as scheduled and must be continued on another day. It can then be difficult to find an early date when both lawyers and witnesses can attend, and the court can make the necessary time available to finish the trial.
Provincial Court judges make tens of thousands of court orders every year. Each order must be typed by the Court Clerk in the courtroom as the judge pronounces it, and printed on a paper court order by staff in the Court Registry, before being given to the people affected by it. While improved technology has shortened this process in recent years, it can be time-consuming and work-intensive.