Exercise 5: Summary
Navigating court processes is already a new experience, which can feel like learning a new language, even for English speakers. Using plain language is one of the fastest ways to improve the court users’ experience. When your court users can easily access and understand information, it improves the efficiency of the court because users come to court prepared and ready to participate.
There are plenty of easy and free tools to improve communications from the court. Aim for a 6th grade reading level. Use the Hemingway Editor or the “editor” tab in Microsoft Word to test your score. Replace legal terms when communicating with the public with terms from NCSC’s plain language glossary. For instant feedback, ask neighbor, friend, or student who is not a lawyer and does not work in the courts to read one of your documents and give you feedback.