Lawyerisms: turns of phrase used by lawyers, including me, that cause members of the general public to furrow their brow in response, as in can you not say that in plain English? Therefore, I hereby undertake to cease and desist from their further use.
- “I’ll take that under advisement” (advisement?) when what you really mean is “I need to take some time to think about that” or “I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you”. I looked up “advisement” in an ordinary online dictionary and was advised “no dictionary result”. Shocking. I’ll have to check my big fat lawyer’s dictionary when I get back to the home office. (Wait! I can’t because I gave it away – well, that was probably a step in the right direction)
- “I trust you will govern yourself accordingly” when what you really mean is “back off or I’ll sue you”.
- My formal professional title is “Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public and Trade-mark Agent”. Much too long! Let’s cut it down to it’s essence: lawyer. And about those first two words, does anybody outside of England know what a “barrister” or “solicitor” is? A barrister is someone entitled to appear before the courts on behalf of others. And a solicitor? Well, let’s just drop it, shall we?