I’d heard from the ABA that copies of the fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting are now in inventory, but this tweet by @Bryan_Sims confirmed it: Just arrived. I can't wait to dive in. @KonciseD I love the new look. pic.twitter.com/sAfBvu0tGZ — Bryan_Sims (@Bryan_Sims) October 10, 2017 I don’t even have a copy yet, so I’m … Read More
Today Joe Kimble, doyen of the legal-writing community, sent me the following photo of a contract he had been asked to sign. The issue wasn’t the wall-to-wall legalese. Instead, in his email Joe said, “I signed this for a home tour yesterday. Why would visitors be asked to sign when the agreement is between the Lansing Historical Society and the … Read More
I noticed this post on ContractsProf Blog. It involves a fight over what “the fee” meant in a contract. Did it mean this fee or that fee? Ah, says I, that’s an instance of antecedent ambiguity. That’s where you allude to something mentioned elsewhere in a contract, but it’s arguably unclear what you’re actually referring to. See this post and … Read More
It’s been years since I’ve been a member of the American Bar Association. On a sudden impulse, I rectified that over the weekend: One reason for my doing so is that the Section of Business Law is the publisher of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. And next year I expect to publish with them a shorter book entitled … Read More
I’ve written previously (here) about my 7 November panel discussion in London with UCL Faculty of Laws. But earlier the same day I’m also doing a breakfast meeting for the group Clarity on the subject of “Overcoming resistance to change in contract drafting”; for more information, go here. Obviously there’s overlap in terms of the topics covered. But the Clarity … Read More
If you want to buy the fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting from the ABA Web Store, you’ll be told you have to pay a $70 fee for shipping. For prospective buyers located in Canada, that seems steep. But if you buy just one copy of the book and want it sent to Canada, there’s a … Read More
Go here for the last teaser for the fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, the index. You can tell a lot about a reference work from its index. You can’t make a good index from a mediocre reference work. But you can make a mediocre index from a good reference work. I’m happy with the fourth … Read More
Go here for the introduction to the fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. The introduction serves as a manifesto. It’s a reflection of what was on my mind at the time; if I were to write it now, I might emphasize some parts more or less. But I think it sets the scene appropriately. Bear with … Read More
Go here for the preface to the fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. It will give you a sense of what has changed from the third edition. Once the print version is available, I’ll put online more detailed information about changes.
My first-ever public seminar was in Toronto with Osgoode Professional Development, back in 2006, I think. And way more people have attended my seminars in Toronto than in any other city. So I always enjoy going back. I’ll be back on 23 October for my regular “Drafting Clearer Contracts” seminar. It will be my first seminar in Toronto at which … Read More
