I’ve belatedly updated the testimonials on the MSCD page of this site. To spare you having to click on the link, I’ve copied the testimonials below. I thank all those who were kind enough to provide testimonials. I have a particular soft spot for the one that potential MSCD readers are least likely to pay attention to, namely the one from Geoff Pullum. Geoff has very good naturedly tolerated my periodically pestering him.
A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is filled with practical advice. It certainly fills a need—the vast majority of agreements out there violate the principles Ken Adams states so clearly. Every lawyer who drafts or interprets contracts should have a copy of this book within reach. Michael A. Woronoff, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP
Every transactional attorney should have Ken Adams’s A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting on their bookshelves. In the same clear, concise language that contracts themselves should use, Adams explains the mechanics of contract drafting. His book should serve as the bible of contract drafting for years to come. Steven M. Davidoff, Associate Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law and New York Times “Deal Professor”
A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is an essential reference work for transactional lawyers—whether they’re based in the U.S., Europe, or elsewhere—who wish to draft clear and precise contracts in English. It demonstrates convincingly that lawyers and their clients would both benefit by purging from their contracts the archaisms, redundancies, and trite lawyerisms that too often feature in mainstream drafting. Scott Chalmers, Associate, London Office, White & Case (Europe) LLP
Since the first edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting came out, it has proven to be an indispensable reference tool for drafting purposes. The second edition confirms its unique position amongst texts on drafting techniques in terms of its comprehensive, practical and user-friendly approach. Encouragingly, from the perspective of a non-US lawyer, the manual continues to be highly relevant and useful to lawyers from other common law jurisdictions and also to lawyers generally who draft contracts in English. Andrew Godwin, Former Partner at Linklaters Shanghai, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Law School
A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is a must for anyone who works regularly with contracts of any kind. It’s a unique resource, and I defy anyone to make sense of contract language without it. Cynthia Sternberg, Contracts Manager, InnoPath Software, Inc.
A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting is an invaluable resource for the transactional attorney. The discussion of ambiguity is particularly useful, and the chapter on materiality and “material adverse change” provisions offers essential guidance for these uncertain economic times. Read the book to gain an understanding of its principles, then keep it handy when drafting or reviewing contracts. Steven H. Sholk, Director, Gibbons P.C.
Anyone tempted to believe the old stereotype of lawyers always writing mumbo-jumbo full of archaic jargon and tangled syntax should take a look at the second edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. Kenneth Adams is one lawyer who writes with clarity and linguistic insight. He has made a really serious study of how normal Standard English can be used to make contract language clear and unambiguous. His thorough understanding of grammar—in modern terms, stripped of the bugaboos—shines out from every page. Professor Geoffrey K. Pullum, Head of Linguistics & English Language, University of Edinburgh and co-author of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language
When lawyers use legalese, we risk alienating nonlawyers. In that regard, A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting has helped me serve my clients more effectively—by following Adams’s recommendations for clear and efficient contract drafting, I’ve been able to reduce the language barrier between me and my clients. Daniel P. Harris, Partner, Harris Moure
