1 What "basic standard" means

This unit is not about grammar rules but about the standard a legal document has to meet before a court, an office or a client can act on it. The standard has three parts: it must be clear (a reader gets the meaning on one reading), consistent (the same term means the same thing every time it is used), and effective (it does what the drafter intended — creates the right, imposes the duty, sets the time limit, and can be enforced). A memorandum that is elegant but leaves the reader unsure whether the client must file within 7 days or 15 has failed, however good its English.