The Lawyer's Moral Obligation to Write Well

Abstract

In this short article, and drawing upon George Steiner's famous article about the death of the German language, I argue that it is only when the language of the law is "living speech," in James Boyd White's terminology, that the law can perform well its moral purpose. This is, in part, because of the unique form of judgment that the law is.

Keywords: language, Steiner, Germany, humane, grace, James Boyd White, Aristotle, living speech, Reich, judgment, theater, legal writing, mentors