So, How Important is Legal Writing, Anyway?
Pretty darn important. Thanks to Greg Lambert of the Three Geeks and a Law Blog, for his post It Seems That Judges Want More In Your Complaints Than Just Your Complaining , reporting two cases thrown out by judges for faulty legal writing. In a Montana court, the judge dismissed a mandamus action for failing to cite the statute the petitioner’s wanted the court to enforce. ( Right to Vote Missoula.Com v. City of Missoula, BO. DV-10-821,Montana Fourth Judicial District, 2010). On Monday, the New York Federal District Court, Southern District dismissed the 112 page complaint in Woodward v. Raymond James in a 24 page opinion, noting that ” the extreme length of the Amended Complaint is an independent ground for dismissal, pursuant to Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires that a pleading contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” ” Read Lambert’s post, then take a look at the cases for a lesson in what not to do!