Why is legal language so difficult for ordinary people to understand? The average person has a basic understanding of their rights to things like free speech, fair compensation, and the right to refuse unsafe work. However, language included in settlements and contracts is often so complex and layered that it befuddles the mind.
Due to the sheer complexity of legal terminology, many ordinary citizens struggle to trust the law firms that represent them. There’s a societal stigma towards the legal community that, while lawyers are respected for their profession and skills, they’re not always trusted by clients or the public at large.
However, there are law firms that with clients over the complexities of the law. These firms choose a customer-first approach to their services, breaking down fundamental legal rights with clear and concise language and placing their clients’ minds at ease.
The law is too complex and lawyers need to simplify it
A lot of this mistrust boils down to the complexities of legal terminology and documentation. In fact, a case for plain language legal contracts was published in the Harvard Business Review. This publication encourages lawyers to strip out boilerplate terminology when negotiating contracts in order to help non-legal citizens better understand documents they’re required to sign.
In addition to making it easier for people to understand, the HBR article argues that more simplified or straightforward legal documents will save countless hours in negotiations. Settlements can be more readily achieved, and people can move on with their lives faster and with greater peace of mind. This approach would also address another stigma against the legal community ? that lawyers always try to maximize billable hours.
Straight shooting lawyers ease people’s minds
Let’s use a very common type of case as an example. An innocent driver ends up in a car accident through the fault of another driver. The damages to their car are very expensive and the driver responsible for the accident should be held accountable for those charges.
The person who brings the case to a law firm may be on edge, confused, and scared of having to pay for those repair bills all on their own. To bombard them with confusing legal terminology in an attempt to explain the details of the case will only increase their uncertainty while also failing to make them feel comfortable and trusting that the process will result in fair and just compensation for their claim.
That’s why car accident lawyers who treat their clients as fellow human beings are so helpful to people in these situations. Car accident victims want reassurance from the professionals who represent their case. Lawyers who start their professional relationships with clients using basic human to human conversation will put their minds at ease and allow them to trust in the explanations laid out before them.
Clients welcomed by their lawyers boost the PR of the firm
Helping people to more easily digest the complexities of the law is, morally, the right thing for any law firm to do. Additionally, there are business benefits that come with straightforward transparency.
For one thing, happy clients are far more likely to provide positive reviews of the firm on third-party law firm review sites. A positive review for the firm on one of the top rated legal review sites increases the potential for referrals that can drum up new business for the firm.
The law doesn’t need to be so complex with legal jargon that the average person won’t be able to understand. Lawyers who treat their clients as fellow people who are looking for simple answers go a long way towards ensuring those clients that they’re in good and effective hands.
