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Good evening! Let me start with a question: Why are you here? What prompted you to enter the annual Plain English Awards? What brought you along tonight?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pretty sure that you\u2019re here because you care. You care about the cause. You care about the ideal of plain language because you understand the cost, in both financial and human terms, of poorly conceived and written communications. You care about wasted effort, wasted time, and wasted money.<\/p>\n
And you care about the enormous disadvantage that poor writing can bring, especially when the communications are about access to justice, or help of some kind, or are connected with legal, financial, or health services.<\/p>\n
It was the very same notion of care that prompted us, 13 years ago, to set up these Awards.<\/p>\n
It was because they cared that our foundation sponsors, Consumer, TechCommNZ, and Graphic Solutions came on board, as did our other wonderful sponsors who followed.<\/p>\n
And it was also that notion of care that led us to establish the WriteMark Plain Language Standard<\/a>, now cleverly rebranded by Craig Christensen to reflect that central idea of \u2014 you got it \u2014 care.<\/p>\n
I interviewed several B Corp law firms in Australia and Canada. B Corps<\/a> are accredited organisations that believe business can be a force for good in the world.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what three of those firms said.<\/p>\n
I loved my interview with Alexandra Doig, Managing Partner of Atticus Lawyers in Melbourne, Australia. With strong convictions about human rights, Alexandra chose to get B Corp accreditation several years ago. Her core philosophy, \u2018We believe in treating people as they would want to be treated\u2019, shone through our entire conversation.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not often you hear a lawyer say, \u2018We want everyone to feel comfortable all of the time. We know clients are already stressed with the issue. We aim to reduce that stress and make them feel happier \u2026 create a safe space \u2026 feel that we are their cheerleaders.\u2019<\/p>\n
I asked Alexandra the all-important question: Does your chief value of \u2018care\u2019 influence the way you write to your clients? The answer: \u2018Yes. Telling people what they need to know, and doing all we can to help, means we need to write like a human. We need to communicate clearly and personally in ways that don\u2019t alienate. We can\u2019t give a client a convoluted document. We have to walk the talk and act on what we believe in.<\/p>\n
\u2018We could write a ten-page document. We try to write a one-pager that clearly captures the most important info, and that the client can easily understand and be comfortable with. It\u2019s a calculated risk \u2014 with benefits.<\/p>\n
\u2018We want to write in a way that gives clients that lightbulb moment. If a client doesn\u2019t walk away with a greater understanding of their position than they had when they arrived, we haven\u2019t done our job properly.\u2019<\/p>\n
Bravo, Alexandra!<\/p>\n
Joel\u2019s strapline on his website says it all: \u2018Legal services \u2014 reimagined simply.\u2019 With a background as an experienced corporate lawyer, Joel said he\u2019d always loved solving client problems. But as time went on, he felt less and less comfortable in a system based on chargeable units. \u2018I felt there was no incentive to be efficient, and this often led to friction between client and lawyer.\u2019<\/p>\n
Prompted by strong values that focused on serving the client in the best way possible, Joel conceived Clearpoint\u2019s unusual model, where they work on retainer for small to medium-sized firms in Melbourne and beyond. Achieving B Corp status was a natural fit.<\/p>\n
Joel is a straight talker: \u2018We want to work with compassionate people who value what we do and whose approach aligns with the concept of conscious capitalism. We don\u2019t work with clients who don\u2019t have our values.\u2019<\/p>\n
When asked if his values-based approach created clearer law, Joel\u2019s answer was unequivocal: \u2018Yes! I say that for two reasons. Our retainer-based fee model means that we must work efficiently \u2014 so we must be clear, concise, and to the point. And what we believe in, our philosophical approach to compassionately meeting clients\u2019 needs, also means that we must communicate in ways they can readily understand.\u2019<\/p>\n
Applause once more from me!<\/p>\n
Sophie\u2019s was a bold start-up story \u2014 similar to the Suspended Coffee movement (buy a coffee, pay for two \u2014 those who can\u2019t afford to pay get coffee for free).\u00a0Sophie and her business partner Ryan Hillier set up Novalex to have a self-sufficient business model, serving both corporate clients and others who need legal help. Neither an exclusively for-profit business, nor an exclusively philanthropic organisation, Novalex is a purpose-driven enterprise doing business for good. For every fee-paying hour, they give a pro-bono hour to\u00a0eligible start-ups, non-profits, or individuals.<\/p>\n
In Sophie\u2019s words, \u2018We believe everyone should have access to justice and\u00a0top-notch\u00a0legal advice.\u00a0We hope that\u00a0corporate clients\u00a0will see using Novalex as a socially responsible choice. And we hope to give back in any way we can.\u2019<\/p>\n
Does this values-based model create clearer law? Sophie: \u2018Absolutely! We know that even the smartest people aren\u2019t necessarily familiar with legal terms and concepts. So a huge part of what we do is to make the law understandable. We use concrete examples and remove the abstract, along with many other techniques such as metaphor (\u201cIt\u2019s like\u2026\u201d), and \u201cThis means\u2026\u201d We remove jargon and make important concepts stand out. We do what we need to do to be understood.\u2019<\/p>\n
Hearing this long list of useful and well-founded plain language techniques, I asked Sophie if she had ever had any formal plain language training. She hadn\u2019t. Nor had Alexandra or Joel. Yet instinctively, motivated by strong human values and a sense of care, all three ticked so many plain language boxes.<\/p>\n
My hypothesis was looking good \u2014 all three firms proving that care really can be a shortcut to plain language. Admittedly my sample size was only three, but these inspiring leaders and others like them are truly showing the way to clearer law using an approach based on care.<\/p>\n
Find out more about each of the three firms here:<\/p>\n
Find out more about the WriteMark Plain Language Standard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"