Law is a system of rules created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behaviour and ensure that everyone adheres to common standards. It can be enacted by a legislature through statutes, decrees and regulations, established by judges through precedent (in common law jurisdictions) or created by individuals through contracts and agreements that are legally binding. It serves four main purposes: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights.
As with any special framework there are deeper dimensions to law – but for the sake of clarity, it is best to think of the core issues as being a single umbrella issue that contains several discrete sub-issues. Immigration law, for example, concerns the right to live in a country other than one’s own and to acquire or lose citizenship; family law covers marriage and divorce proceedings, rights to property and money in the event of separation; corporate law focuses on the legal structures and agreements that underpin business activity and transactions.
Whatever the core issues are, there are some key aspects that all legal writers should bear in mind. Firstly, they should never use language that is difficult to understand – this only serves to alienate the reader. Similarly, they should avoid the use of cliches in their writing – these are not just a turn off for the reader but they can also give the impression that the writer lacks originality and intellectual integrity.