Romeo & Juliet & Law
March 09, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Most of us read Romeo & Juliet in high school. Shakespeare’s tale of two star-crossed lovers from warring factions is certainly a classic one.
And the premise is a constant in entertainment.
Last month, West Side Story returned to Broadway. The theater touchstone takes Romeo & Juliet into a gang theme.
The powerhouse television series Dallas first revolves around the feud between the oil-based Barnes and Ewing families and the further complications triggered by a Barnes daughter marrying a Ewing son.
The lighter tv-movie Pizza My Heart takes a small business approach with rival pizza parlors providing the conflict.
And the recent phenomenon of High School Musical uses high school cliques to generate the drama.
In the original story, Juliet nicely summarizes her strategy for Romeo to ignore the influence of his family and pursue true and lasting love with her. She does it clearly and concisely.
Deny thy father, refuse thy name.
But what if Juliet was a lawyer? A lawyer can take a simple line and pump it full of jargon.
Whereas we are in love and notwithstanding the potential impact on your inheritance and possibility of retaliation by your family on your person, reputation, or assets, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to abdicate your name, family, and all of the benefits pertaining thereto. If abdication is fully and completely accomplished, we can enjoy our lives freely and without interference from members of either the Capulet or Montague families or duly authorized representatives thereto.
Jargon is clarity’s enemy. Unfortunately, lawyers and other professionals are sometimes beholden to it, to the detriment of their colleagues and certainly their lay readers and listeners.
If we are in a situation absolutely requiring jargon, we cannot let it block the reason for the message. Document summaries, headings, and definitions can be terrific assets in cutting through the jargon’s thickness and clarifying the underlying message.
david@davidkrell.com
Most of us read Romeo & Juliet in high school. Shakespeare’s tale of two star-crossed lovers from warring factions is certainly a classic one.
And the premise is a constant in entertainment.
Last month, West Side Story returned to Broadway. The theater touchstone takes Romeo & Juliet into a gang theme.
The powerhouse television series Dallas first revolves around the feud between the oil-based Barnes and Ewing families and the further complications triggered by a Barnes daughter marrying a Ewing son.
The lighter tv-movie Pizza My Heart takes a small business approach with rival pizza parlors providing the conflict.
And the recent phenomenon of High School Musical uses high school cliques to generate the drama.
In the original story, Juliet nicely summarizes her strategy for Romeo to ignore the influence of his family and pursue true and lasting love with her. She does it clearly and concisely.
Deny thy father, refuse thy name.
But what if Juliet was a lawyer? A lawyer can take a simple line and pump it full of jargon.
Whereas we are in love and notwithstanding the potential impact on your inheritance and possibility of retaliation by your family on your person, reputation, or assets, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to abdicate your name, family, and all of the benefits pertaining thereto. If abdication is fully and completely accomplished, we can enjoy our lives freely and without interference from members of either the Capulet or Montague families or duly authorized representatives thereto.
Jargon is clarity’s enemy. Unfortunately, lawyers and other professionals are sometimes beholden to it, to the detriment of their colleagues and certainly their lay readers and listeners.
If we are in a situation absolutely requiring jargon, we cannot let it block the reason for the message. Document summaries, headings, and definitions can be terrific assets in cutting through the jargon’s thickness and clarifying the underlying message.