William Cook (Partner -Detroit) and Matthew High (Associate-Detroit) co-authored "Contractions Aren't So Bad" for the fall 2022 edition of the State Bar of Michigan's Labor and Employment Lawnotes. The article focuses on how the use of contractions in legal writing can be a positive thing in terms of reader understanding and enhanced enjoyment, with readers more apt to understand a writing style similar in fashion to how they regularly speak. Bill and Matt point out that contractions can promote "word economy," brevity, clarity and conciseness, while sound judgment remains necessary to avoid overuse. The authors provide strong support for their argument that correctly placed contractions are an effective way to communicate by nonother than a Supreme Court Justice, a noted legal scholar and Thomas Jefferson, who famously said, "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."
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