This page will contain my musings about things legal or personal.  Such views are not necessarily the views of my profession or any company or firm I am associated with.

One of my pet hates is poor grammar and abuse of the language - “myself” instead of “me” or “I” makes me cringe “please contact myself” has the same effect on me as scraping fingernails on a blackboard.  When I was at school/college a text full of grammatical errors or spelling mistakes was a failed paper.

I am also an advocate of plain English although I think there are times where it is best to stick with legalese if a phrase has a tried and tested meaning and I was rather sad when the legal profession dropped Latin expressions.

Here is an article published by Clarity Magazine in August 1996:

Brian Rangeley, a London solicitor, reported in the Law Society's Gazette (and kindly allowed us to repeat) this extract from the use clause of a lease:

“Not to keep or permit or suffer to be kept on the demised premises any materials of a dangerous combustible or explosive nature - but to use the same only as an indoor shooting centre and instruction in the handling and firing of firearms and the servicing and repair of firearms.”

                                                                                                   BOOM BOOM!  22 June 2011

Here’s another little gem from a web site advertising a local carnival fortnight:

“The Carnival Committee are striving to once again host a impression jam packed few weeks of events, to attract residents and visitors alike in 2011.”

Aside from boldly splitting a [sic] infinitive, clearly this indicates to the casual visitor that the townsfolk are somewhat challenged in the literacy department. This sort of nonsense reflects so badly on a place.

26 June 2011

This is the web site of Brian C Rangeley (formerly Rangeley & Co Solicitors)  - Blog page

This morning I had to help out a friend who was appearing in the County Court in a civil matter and I needed to get a copy document to him an hour before the hearing so he could present it to the judge.  Not having a fax machine, I rang the court to ask for an email address to be told they don’t use email!  Now I can understand that a court may get inundated with spam and other rubbish emails but don’t we all?   You would have thought they would have a “secret” email address for such emergencies.  So I emailed another friend who faxed it over.

Mind you I remember when I set up my first law practice in the late 80’s deciding whether or not to buy a fax machine because so few people had them it didn’t seem worth it!  Now I face the same decision because so few people use them!

05 July 2011