Abbreviations in Legal Writing

Acronyms and (to a lesser extent) acronyms were previously interrupted by periods, as were other abbreviations (e.g., Lord appeared earlier than Lord), and so they may appear in older legal reports and commentaries. LSB – Legal Services Board, the regulatory authority (or super-regulatory authority) of legal supervisory authorities The Bluebook is an excellent source for searching for legal abbreviations. However, this is a paid resource and is usually not available for free. However, quick reference resources, such as our list of legal abbreviations above, should help you get started. You can also check out Bluebook Abbreviations: Common Words in Case Names as well as abbreviations from federal and district courts if you`re curious to learn more. Even people and court systems are abbreviated in legal documents. It`s just easier to have everything as a stenographer, especially for the stenographer. To help you know if you are the „employee” or the „employer”, check the people and abbreviations for the terms of the court. One jurist calls abbreviations a „threat to prose” (Kimble, 2006). Abbreviations were once intended to serve the public by shortening long sentences.

However, abbreviations have become so prevalent in government writings that they constantly force the reader to look back in previous pages or consult an appendix to find out what is being said. There are literally thousands of legal abbreviations used in various circumstances inside and outside the courtroom. Below is a list of some of the most common abbreviations and symbols you may encounter in legal documents. Some of them may already be familiar to you, while others are more often only seen by those who work in the legal field. In addition to laws and codes, you will often find other general legal terms in legal documents. These include words such as „class action” and „counterclaim.” Keep your head above water when reading your legal documents by knowing the abbreviations used here. Resources are available to help people determine the meaning of various legal abbreviations. These resources include GovSpeak, a very comprehensive database of abbreviations and acronyms commonly used in government. In most cases, you don`t need to set this nickname when you first use it unless you use a lot of different nicknames. If you use a nickname for the main topic you`re writing about, don`t offend your users and waste their time. For example, in a document on resource advisory boards, do not tell them that when you say „board,” you mean „resource advisory board.” Limit the number of abbreviations you use in a document to a maximum of three, preferably two.

Spell out everything else. If you`ve used abbreviations for the two or three most common elements, it`s unlikely that the other elements are so common that you won`t be able to spell them out every time. It is common in legal documents to cite other publications using standard abbreviations for the title of each source. Abbreviations can also be found for common words or legal phrases. These citations and abbreviations can be found in court decisions, laws, ordinances, journal articles, books, and other documents. Below is a basic list of very common abbreviations. Because publishers use different practices when it comes to printing abbreviations, it may happen that abbreviations with or without a period are given for each letter. For example, the Code of Federal Regulations may appear abbreviated as „C.F.R.” or simply „CFR.” There are also other well-known sources of legal abbreviations. These include The Bluebook, the hugely popular guide to legal citations compiled by professionals from Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, and University of Pennsylvania Law Review. See also „Display” above. „vs.” is used in most scientific writings in other fields, but „v.” only in legal writing. Note that it does NOT include abbreviations commonly used in legal citations or in company names that we have listed elsewhere.

Studying law can be intimidating at first for many reasons. Don`t let acronyms and abbreviations be part of it! This list will help you start your legal career, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The legal world loves shortcuts, so you can expect to see them for the rest of your legal career. For legal abbreviations that were not found online, look for one of the following printed sources. These publications can be found regularly in legal and other libraries. Legal documents are full of abbreviations for legal codes. Not only will you cite criminal charges, but you will also see legal documents and laws such as the Constitution or the First Amendment. Clarify your understanding and refer to these legal abbreviations for court documents as they refer to legal codes, laws, and organizations. There is a short list of abbreviations that have entered into common usage. When you use them, you don`t define them – they just take up space and annoy your user. Make sure that the abbreviation you are using is included in the list.

Examples include IBM, ATM, BMW, PhD, CIA, and FBI. Legal abbreviations are often found in everything from a book to court documents. It is very important to have a common set of abbreviations because anyone who reads a legal document understands what is presented in writing without having to spell out terms that are frequently used. You`ll be surprised how many very common abbreviations are actually legally justified. For abbreviations that are not in this list, here are alternative sites to look for: A closely related directive is: „Do not define anything that is obvious to the user”. Most federal agencies insist on defining the name of the agency when writing a letter responding to a request, as in „Thank you for writing to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about your concerns.” On the letterhead is the name of the agency. The person wrote to the agency, and now the agency writes. The user will not be confused about what FAA means! One thing you shouldn`t insist on is the myriad of acronyms and shortcuts you`ll hear as you orient yourself. They may seem intense, but they are really just shortcuts. Once you`ve looked at this list we`ve created for you, you`ll also take care of the abbrvs! CLC – Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the regulatory authority for licensed developers LCCSA – London Criminal Courts Solicitors` Association LSS – Litigation and Settlements Strategy (of HMRC) CJEC – Court of Justice of the European Communities (in Luxembourg) PATAS – Parking and Traffic Appeals Service, hears calls from motorists against fines, etc.

POA – Plea Only Advocates: a lawyer qualified only to represent a client, who wants to plead guilty (now renamed ASN or non-trial Advocates). AG – Advocate General (before the Court of Justice of the European Communities) JJ – Judge (plural, after listing their surnames) SC(E) – Supreme Court, at the hearing of appeals of the courts of England and Wales LJ – Lord Justice, Lady Justice (appears after the surname). BSB – Bar Standards Board, created by the Council of the Order as regulator of lawyers PCN – Penalty notice, usually for parking in the wrong place, driving in the congestion zone without payment or any other violation of a fixed fine, Admin Ct – Administrative Court (which is part of the queen`s bench division) CJEU – European Court of Justice (in Luxembourg; also known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities/Union) An acronym is an abbreviated term or Description derived from the first letters of the full name or description, pronounced as a series of initials rather than as a word. For example, BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation. JAG – Joint Advocacy Group, composed of representatives of BSB, SRA and IPS advertising. – ad sectam (Latin), as c. in cases, except that the defendant is listed first (e.g. Wade ads. Roe) QBD – Queen`s Bench Division (of the Supreme Court) NTA – Non Trial Advocate (see also POA), a lawyer who can only represent a client who pleads guilty (e.g., for mitigation measures). CPD – Continuing professional development, a system that ensures that professionals meet their standards of competence UCP – Universal Customs & Practice (for documentary letters of credit) J – Justice (named after a Supreme Court judge, short for M. / Ms Justice) HMSO – Her Majesty`s Stationery Office – official printers of government publications PDA – Succession, Divorce and Admiralty (former department of the Supreme Court) ECHR (or ECHR) – European Court of Human Rights (in Strasbourg) P – President (after the surname of the President of a department of the Supreme Court) V-C – Vice-Chancellor (after the surname of the Vice-Chancellor of the Chancellery Division, title previously conferred on the highest magistrate of this department of the Supreme Court).) CFR – Call for Answers or Code of Federal Regulations.