The assumptions we make

I hope I have said enough to persuade you that traditional legal language is not all that its exponents make it out to be. This brings me, then, to consider the assumptions we make when drafting legal documents in plain language. I think we make at least four assumptions. Let me consider them one by one.

Assumption 1: that it is possible effectively to express legal concepts in plain language

This is the first assumption we make, and it is a central one: that it is possible to express legal concepts in plain language, without loss of certainty and precision, even in areas of law that are complex.