Document Type
Article
Media Type
text
Publication Title
Northern Illinois University Law Review
Abstract
The ability to effectively communicate, whether such communication is oral or written, is a primary tool in any lawyer’s toolbox. How we communicate is a reflection on our level of professionalism, both as individual attorneys, and as the legal body at large. It is how we convey ideas with our client, with our colleague, and with the court. It is how we persuade through legal reasoning. There is no doubt that the style of communication has evolved over time. One need only to read legal opinions from a century ago to see what was acceptable as proper communication. The standard has reflected on some level the way we generally speak in society. Those legal opinions read more like a Shakespearean play than a legal analysis of the issues presented. Modern legal opinions in general seem easier to follow in that they are laid out in a way that we currently speak in society—presenting the issue, the underlying facts, the legal standards, the analysis, and the application to the case at bar in a way that makes it clear what the court is holding. Modern legal opinion writing looks nothing like its ancestor, and yet it is considered highly acceptable and professional communication by today’s standards. Likewise, correspondence with colleagues, opposing counsel, and clients also has changed over time. The use of colloquialisms, shorthand, and even emojis is commonplace. It raises the question of whether the level of communication has simply evolved, or has devolved and the bar has been lowered, thus reflecting on the level of professionalism.
First Page
26
Last Page
55
Publication Date
11-1-2025
Department
College of Law
Recommended Citation
Fleck, Michael J.
(2025)
"Hey, Bruh . . . I Mean, Your Honor—The Evolution (or Devolution) of Legal Communications in Modern Times,"
Northern Illinois University Law Review: Vol. 46:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Suggested Citation
Michael J. Fleck, Hey, Bruh . . . I Mean, Your Honor—The Evolution (or Devolution) of Legal Communications in Modern Times, 46 N. Ill. Univ. L. Rev. 26 (2025).
