“Juristendeutsch” refers to Latin terms, archaic words such as “bisher” and redundant phrases such as “null and void”. To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart, we know the legal language when we see it (or at least we should). One final comment on legal German: Some lawyers feel that generously spitting out their own letter with terms like before and Case Sub Judice impresses clients. On the contrary, most demanding clients now expect their lawyer to use simple and straightforward language. A good lawyer demonstrates her worth not by grandiloquence, but by clear diction and conclusive analysis. If you are wondering if your apartment is illegal, you can contact the Buildings Department. All buildings constructed after April 1929 have a certificate of occupancy telling you how the building can be used. It will tell you how many apartments it can have on each floor, which can help you determine if your basement apartment is legal. LSC-funded legal aid in the shaded area in red is administered by: In many areas, beautiful apartments are not legal because they violate the municipality`s zoning ordinances. Some landlords develop these apartments without proper permits and without following building codes. Municipalities that allow apartments in law restrict who can live there and limit occupancy to direct relatives. These restrictions generally prohibit landlords from renting the apartment to an unrelated tenant.
In particular, litigants should avoid using legal language in pleadings and pleadings for several reasons. If you work within the confines of the page, legal language can waste valuable space on unnecessary wording. The best lawyers avoid legal language, so writing in plain English will convey your credibility to a court. Perhaps most importantly, you want a busy judge to focus on the flesh of your argument and not be distracted by fat. LSC is an independent non-profit organization founded by Congress in 1974 to provide financial assistance to low-income Americans for civil legal aid. The company currently provides funding to 132 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, District of Columbia and U.S. territories. 1. Lawyers should proceed with caution in this area, as obscure or complex terminology may have a precise and accepted meaning that is difficult to reproduce with plain language. These art concepts are necessary in some legal writings and must be distinguished from legal language.
If you are a tenant and have questions about landlord harassment, repairs to your apartment or building, or your rights as a tenant, please call 311 and request the tenant helpline or visit the city`s online resource portal for information and resources for tenants in New York City, including free legal assistance from OCJ`s non-profit partners for legal service providers. If your electricity comes from extension cords or door locks with a padlock, you should check if it`s legal. If you believe you have been illegally excluded from your home by your landlord, OCJ may offer free legal services through our non-profit legal service providers to assist you in an “illegal lockout” case in housing court. OCJ`s Housing Helpline is available Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to provide telephone legal advice and information to New York tenants who need help with legal questions about rent, their lease, or other landlord-tenant matters. Not all apartments in New York are legal. New York City defines buildings as residential or commercial buildings and there are laws that impose specifications for bedroom size, heating, gas, water, and sanitation issues.
Although basements are still an illegal place to live, basements can be legal. Here is the important difference between them. If you are looking for help with a civil matter, enter an address or city below to find an LSC-funded legal aid organization near you. It is illegal for an owner to evict you without filing an eviction lawsuit against you in court or before there is a court order allowing a marshal to evict you. If you believe you have been illegally locked out, you can file a complaint (an “illegal lockout” or “repossession”) with the Housing Court. For starters, the apartment is illegal if the space is used in a way that goes beyond what the building permit provides. For example, business units cannot be rented as housing. Basements, which are often found in single-family homes, are not designated as residential homes and are therefore illegal to rent. Basements can be legal apartments, but they should raise a red flag and you should proceed with caution. To access OCJ`s tenant legal services, please call 311 and request the city`s tenant hotline. You can also visit LawHelp.org to search for information about your legal issues and find free legal forms.
Ginette Chapman is a legal writer who provides www.legaledits.com services to lawyers through her website. During her 15 years as a Colorado attorney, she worked for the federal government, a law firm, and the courts, including as an employee of Judge Gregory J. Hobbs Jr. Most recently, she served in the restaurant industry as in-house counsel – ginette.chapman@gmail.com, (303) 330-9251. Coordinating Editor: John Campbell, jcampbell@law.du.edu. In addition to the Latin and archaic terms listed in the table above, here are some examples of legal language to eliminate in contracts: the choice of words, like legal language, weakens writing by adding unnecessary length and diluting analysis. Eloquence occurs when authors use passive voice, double negatives, unnecessary adverbs, preposition-heavy formulations, and superfluous sentences. When it comes to transactional practice, contracts are usually overflowing with legal language. But legal language obscures important points and makes contracts impenetrable for non-lawyers – and even lawyers. The modern trend is towards simple drafting of a contract (a topic for another day), so you can rely on outdated wording in a contract that you can mark as not conforming to the legal field.1 Choosing the right words and phrases is a key element for good legal drafting. Still, many lawyers struggle with the nuances of the wording, and even strong writers can further refine their diction. While a misstep here or there isn`t a big deal, a variety of inappropriate or outdated wording decisions undermine a lawyer`s credibility and distract from the essential points a lawyer wants to convey.
If you are faced with a request from your landlord to make an eviction order against you, OCJ may provide you with free legal services through our non-profit legal service providers in accordance with the City`s Right to Counsel Act. This article identifies some of the most common wording tricks found in legal documents, shows how to avoid these missteps, and explains why it boosts writing and reputation. Careful attention to the wording will make your writing clearer, sharper and more persuasive. If you`re having trouble evaluating your diction, a simple web search will give you plenty of useful resources. Contributing from a colleague or legal writer about your work products can help you identify wording errors. Also consider taking CLE courses in legal writing or subscribing to newsletters from a legal writing expert. Ultimately, the best way to refine your diction is to devote a lot of time and effort to the editing process, including editing a printed copy of your document and reading the document aloud for yourself. Under New York`s Right to Counsel Act (RTC), DSS/HRA`s Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) provides access to free legal representation and advice from nonprofit legal advisory organizations in the five boroughs for tenants threatened with eviction in housing court or NYCHA administrative proceedings. Legal services are free of charge, available in any postal code and regardless of immigration status. If your landlord refuses to remedy a serious or dangerous condition in your home, such as mold, lead paint peeling or a leak, or if your landlord does not provide essential services to which you are legally entitled, such as heating, hot water, gas, electricity or adequate security, you can file a complaint with the housing court (an HP lawsuit) to ask a judge, Ask your landlord to make these repairs.