Texas Bar Practice Blog |Is It Wrong to End a Sentence with a Preposition?Written byElizabeth FloreaniDecember 11, 2023Share this PostParenthetical content is a word, phrase, or sentence that functions as an aside, briefly departing from the main discourse. The punctuation normally used to separate parenthetical content from the main text is, of course, parentheses, but parenthetical commas or em dashes may also be used. Setting off text with parentheses usually de-emphasizes it, setting off text with commas usually carries neutral emphasis, and setting off text with em dashes usually emphasizes it: John brought a stray dog (a bull terrier) to grandma’s house. John brought a stray dog, a bull terrier, to grandma’s house. John brought a stray dog—a bull terrier—to grandma’s house. When parenthetical text falls at the end of a sentence, omit the closing parenthetical comma or em dash, but include the closing parenthesis: John brought home a stray dog (a bull terrier). John brought home a stray dog, a bull terrier. John brought home a stray dog—a bull terrier. Note that, as with the comma, parentheses and the em dash have uses other than just setting off parenthetical content. I won’t get into all of that here. As a general rule, …

Texas Bar Practice Blog |Legal Editing: The Art of Precision, Clarity, and ProfessionalismWritten byElizabeth FloreaniJuly 12, 2023Share this PostOur team of editors at Texas Bar Books works in conjunction with publications attorneys and Texas lawyers to produce practice manuals, jury charges, desk books, and reference guides.In our writing process, we find legal editing to be the final, crucial step that ensures documents are well-crafted, precise, and easy to understand. A meticulously edited legal document, whether it be a pleading, motion, email, or letter, can make all the difference in conveying an effective message, presenting a professional product, making a persuasive argument, and avoiding the court’s or your client’s ire. The National Law Review recently singled out a federal case in which the court took issue with the defendant’s grammar and spelling errors, noting, “the court denied a Defendant’s motion to dismiss but not before chiding the Defendant’s counsel—calling him out by name in the opinion—for submitting a brief ‘riddled with spelling mistakes and ungrammatical sentences…’” In this blog post, we will explore the importance of legal editing, discuss a few key techniques for improving editing skills, and provide practical tips to enhance the quality of legal writing. The Importance of Legal Editing Legal editing serves multiple purposes, including enhancing clarity, eliminating ambiguity, …