Handbook: Plain Language (Lauchman 2009)
This handbook is intended for the writers in the U.S. federal government. It focuses on aspects of writing that are especially important to Plain Language. The Lauchman Group (lauchmangroup.com) regularly updates the handbook on their website.
Recommended Citation: Richard Lauchman, Plan Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government, Lauchman Group (rev. 2009). Available at http://www.lauchmangroup.com/PDFfiles/PLHandbook.PDF.
Year published:
2009
Document Author:
Richard Lauchman
Report: Model Self-Help Pilot Program A Report To The Legislature (California 2005)
Executive Summary
Year published:
2005
Document Author:
California Judicial Council Center for Families Children & the Courts
Article: Plain Language in Law (Dave 2002)
Plain Language in Law, by Sandeep Dave cites several resources about using plain language in legal documents. It can be found at https://www.llrx.com/2002/11/features-plain-language-in-law/.
Year published:
2002
Document Author:
Sandeep Dave
Paper: Self Represented Litigants: Self Help Programs – Making the Case to the Bench and Bar (Greacen, Hough, Ledray 2006)
John Greacen, Bonnie Hough, and Susan Ledray presented at the July 2006 National Association of Court Management meeting in Florida. They discussed 1) Reasons to have a self help program; 2) Objections to starting a self help program (and responses).
Materials for this presenation, as well as past conference materials can be downloaded from the NACM site.
Year published:
2006
Document Author:
John Greacen, Bonnie Rose Hough, Susan Ledray
Article: Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience (Nielsen 2005)
The article, Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience, is about the research on lower-literacy usability of documents or texts on websites. It tackles the characteristics of lower-literarcy users, ways to improve usability for lower-literarcy users, its population, and the difference in usability between the original and revised site.
Year published:
2005
Document Author:
Jakob Nielsen
Tool: Test Your Court’s Self-Representation Quotient! (Hough & James 2006)
An 18-question quiz/checklist to determine how well a court is doing in providing services to self-represented litigants. Web links to various helpful resources are also provided.
Year published:
2006
Document Author:
Bonnie Rose Hough, Bob James
Article: A Modest Wish List for Legal Writing (Kimble 2000)
The author of A Modest Wish List for Legal Writing, Joseph Kimble, cited some ways to improve the readabilty of legal documents.
Year published:
2000
Document Author:
Joseph Kimble
Best Practices: Best Practices for Programs to Assist Self-Represented Litigants in Family Law Matters (Maryland 2005)
From the introduction:
Year published:
2005
Document Author:
Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts, Pamela Cardullo Ortiz
Article: Plain Language Works for Pro Per Litigants (Mindlin & McCormick 2004)
This article discusses the benefits of using Plain Language court forms for self-represented litigants. It enumerates the readability and advanced features used in adapting Plain Language in Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) forms.
Recommended Citation: Maria Mindlin and Katherine McCormick, Plain Language Works for Pro Per Litigants, Transcend.net (2004).
Year published:
2004
Document Author:
Maria Mindlin and Katherine McCormick
SRLN Brief: LEP Language Access Resources (SRLN 2015)
Without proper language assistance, Limited English Proficient (LEP) court users are excluded from meaningful participation in the courts. Federal laws particularly applicable to language access include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Title VI regulations, prohibiting discrimination based on national origin, and Executive Order 13166 issued in 2000. Many individual federal programs, states, and localities also have provisions requiring language services for LEP individuals.
Leading national resources for those wishing to learn more include the following:
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
Self-Represented Litigation Network