Legal Style Blog
@legalstyle.co.uk
A web-log on legal style, with a focus on England & Wales. Also home of the ‘In the Privy Council’ podcast and the novelty @tritelaw.bsky.social account. Editor: Mr Elijah Z Granet @ezgra.net. Web: legalstyle.co.uk ; e-mail: editor [at] legalstyle.co.uk
In "annals of legal chutzpah," murderer Leopold (of "& Loeb" fame) sued to stop a film à clef (COMPULSION, a fave) about his crime, saying the fictionalized aspects hurt him in the community. Ill. Sup. Ct.: you murdered a kid; there's no fiction about you that worsens your rep.
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 AM
In "annals of legal chutzpah," murderer Leopold (of "& Loeb" fame) sued to stop a film à clef (COMPULSION, a fave) about his crime, saying the fictionalized aspects hurt him in the community. Ill. Sup. Ct.: you murdered a kid; there's no fiction about you that worsens your rep.
Looked this up out of curiosity and it's fascinating when states (here Ohio and Oregon) insist on terms no other state uses. What other examples are there of a state using a unique name for a common offense, procedure, or law?
April 19, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Looked this up out of curiosity and it's fascinating when states (here Ohio and Oregon) insist on terms no other state uses. What other examples are there of a state using a unique name for a common offense, procedure, or law?
In keeping with the GPO style guide, the Supreme Court uses an en-dash (–) not a hyphen (-) in MS–13 (so it's not MS-13). It's an odd quirk of federal style
April 17, 2025 at 9:13 PM
In keeping with the GPO style guide, the Supreme Court uses an en-dash (–) not a hyphen (-) in MS–13 (so it's not MS-13). It's an odd quirk of federal style
If you want to really annoy a lawyer, just try citing bits from law reports like you would any other book chapter ;)
April 12, 2025 at 9:34 PM
If you want to really annoy a lawyer, just try citing bits from law reports like you would any other book chapter ;)
The official proclamation of Australia's dissolution is not befitting the great Commonwealth… so I re-typeset it! God save the King of Australia! Pathetic original below
March 29, 2025 at 12:21 AM
The official proclamation of Australia's dissolution is not befitting the great Commonwealth… so I re-typeset it! God save the King of Australia! Pathetic original below
There's a lot of debate on the best list format for law. Some people like Roman (I,II, III or i, ii, iii), others alpha (a, b, c), others numeric (1, 2, 3). I, however, prefer the bra size method of listing, which I think is the clearest way to tabulate.
March 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM
There's a lot of debate on the best list format for law. Some people like Roman (I,II, III or i, ii, iii), others alpha (a, b, c), others numeric (1, 2, 3). I, however, prefer the bra size method of listing, which I think is the clearest way to tabulate.
A few excerpts from one of my favourite essays (always a delight to return to), L. Sprague de Camp’s “Language for Time Travellers”
March 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
A few excerpts from one of my favourite essays (always a delight to return to), L. Sprague de Camp’s “Language for Time Travellers”
I **ADORE** this little article from Green Bag by a federal judge explaining how he first coined a word and then worked to use it in an opinion so it could make it into Black's Law Dictionary greenbag.org/v13n2/v13n2_...
March 11, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I **ADORE** this little article from Green Bag by a federal judge explaining how he first coined a word and then worked to use it in an opinion so it could make it into Black's Law Dictionary greenbag.org/v13n2/v13n2_...
Quiz: name the case from the AI generated image!
March 4, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Quiz: name the case from the AI generated image!
Library catalogues should not use academic diacritics like this, meaningless and confusing and bad for typeface support, for public listings. Associate the canonical academic transliteration with a name conforming to more standard Cyrillic-English renderings…
February 23, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Library catalogues should not use academic diacritics like this, meaningless and confusing and bad for typeface support, for public listings. Associate the canonical academic transliteration with a name conforming to more standard Cyrillic-English renderings…
The trial of the attacker (just convicted) against Sir Salman Rushdie is a good illustration of the quirks of inchoate offences: attempted murder requires an intent to kill, yet murder doesn't.
(This is basic stuff to lawyers but for non-legal followers…)
(This is basic stuff to lawyers but for non-legal followers…)
February 21, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The trial of the attacker (just convicted) against Sir Salman Rushdie is a good illustration of the quirks of inchoate offences: attempted murder requires an intent to kill, yet murder doesn't.
(This is basic stuff to lawyers but for non-legal followers…)
(This is basic stuff to lawyers but for non-legal followers…)
Legal academics v legal practice: an illustration
February 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Legal academics v legal practice: an illustration
Can someone please explain to me why on earth NextDNS allows this option to be turned off?
February 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Can someone please explain to me why on earth NextDNS allows this option to be turned off?
2 things from the memo dismissing the case against Eric Adams:
1) oddly the Dep. AG cited the Hyde Amend't [crim. not abortion] by Pub.-L. yet it's 18 U.S.C. § 3006A note. The confusion of statutory notes strikes again
2) What on earth does Vickor Bout have to do with things?
1) oddly the Dep. AG cited the Hyde Amend't [crim. not abortion] by Pub.-L. yet it's 18 U.S.C. § 3006A note. The confusion of statutory notes strikes again
2) What on earth does Vickor Bout have to do with things?
February 11, 2025 at 2:28 AM
2 things from the memo dismissing the case against Eric Adams:
1) oddly the Dep. AG cited the Hyde Amend't [crim. not abortion] by Pub.-L. yet it's 18 U.S.C. § 3006A note. The confusion of statutory notes strikes again
2) What on earth does Vickor Bout have to do with things?
1) oddly the Dep. AG cited the Hyde Amend't [crim. not abortion] by Pub.-L. yet it's 18 U.S.C. § 3006A note. The confusion of statutory notes strikes again
2) What on earth does Vickor Bout have to do with things?
A helpful guide to avoiding a common spelling error thanks to confusion of the #severance tv show and the Prime Minister!
February 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A helpful guide to avoiding a common spelling error thanks to confusion of the #severance tv show and the Prime Minister!
I don't think I can keep watching the #severance show given that in the latest episode the same book is shown first printed in Garamond Premier Pro Caption (small optical size has distinct 'W') and then later in Times New Roman. Disgracefully poor attention to detail
February 8, 2025 at 8:26 PM
I don't think I can keep watching the #severance show given that in the latest episode the same book is shown first printed in Garamond Premier Pro Caption (small optical size has distinct 'W') and then later in Times New Roman. Disgracefully poor attention to detail
NEW PEERS ALERT! Including for former Downing Street chief Sue Gray. Meanwhile… how does one pronounce Auchenroch?
February 7, 2025 at 5:56 PM
NEW PEERS ALERT! Including for former Downing Street chief Sue Gray. Meanwhile… how does one pronounce Auchenroch?
My assumption is that it is the lawyer being cautious about aggressive attempts to get sanctions by opposing counsel (common in the US). Rule 11(b)(3) here is probably the origin of the fear
February 6, 2025 at 10:02 PM
My assumption is that it is the lawyer being cautious about aggressive attempts to get sanctions by opposing counsel (common in the US). Rule 11(b)(3) here is probably the origin of the fear
I strongly endorse being so pedantic as to join in a concurrence save two footnotes
February 6, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I strongly endorse being so pedantic as to join in a concurrence save two footnotes
I know this slam poetry style formatting of allegations is designed to streamline a reply (paragraph 164 is denied/admitted) but it makes complaints unreadable to anyone else.
February 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I know this slam poetry style formatting of allegations is designed to streamline a reply (paragraph 164 is denied/admitted) but it makes complaints unreadable to anyone else.
Lord Campbell was so enamoured of the index he [claimed to have] proposed a bill mandating an index in all books!
February 4, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Lord Campbell was so enamoured of the index he [claimed to have] proposed a bill mandating an index in all books!
I'm so mulish about such things that, if I were in prison and a pardon came with this kind of typo, I would send the pardon back with a request for revisions before agreeing to be released.
January 23, 2025 at 3:44 AM
I'm so mulish about such things that, if I were in prison and a pardon came with this kind of typo, I would send the pardon back with a request for revisions before agreeing to be released.
If you run for president this should absolutely be the title of your pre-campaign book that candidates traditionally release
January 9, 2025 at 4:31 AM
If you run for president this should absolutely be the title of your pre-campaign book that candidates traditionally release
David Brooks shows his deep grasp of theology certainly not obtained by lazy googling for quotations by to fill copy by calling Simone Weil a ‘Jewish mystic’
December 22, 2024 at 6:55 PM
David Brooks shows his deep grasp of theology certainly not obtained by lazy googling for quotations by to fill copy by calling Simone Weil a ‘Jewish mystic’