Here’s Why I Teach Legalese to Everyday People

I spent almost 10 years working as a lawyer in various settings: at a law firm, as in-house counsel at a company, and as a solo practitioner with my own legal practice for small businesses.

Here’s my take:
The law is confusing on purpose.

Yes, you read that right: the law is confusing on purpose. It uses a lot of fancy and complicated language that’s:

(1) difficult to pay attention to because it’s not exactly a thrilling read; and 
(2) difficult to comprehend because the sentence structures alone will make your head spin. 

That can all be pretty overwhelming and perhaps even scary, especially if you aren’t familiar with legalese and don’t know exactly what you need to look for when you’re reviewing a legal document. 

But it doesn’t have to be. 

Everyone Should Speak Business Legalese

I started this service because I think everyone, yes everyone, ought to be proficient in what I call basic business legalese. Because we live in a society where the vast majority of us have to work for a living. And the options for how we work and when we work are continuing to expand. 

As the ways we work continue to change and expand, I believe it’s more important than ever that everyday people learn how to read and speak business legalese. But as it stands now, understanding the law, how it works, and how it impacts your business and work decisions tends to be a cost prohibitive endeavor. You usually have to spend a lot of money to learn the law or spend a lot of money to pay someone who has. 

That’s unworkable for most of us. Most people who work to make a living don’t have that kind of money and don’t actually need a lawyer to represent them. What most people need is someone who understands the law to educate them. A person who can explain what the contract terms that they’re unfamiliar with mean and how those terms impact them so they can make informed decisions.

So that’s why I do what I do. My service is in service of your empowerment, clarity, and peace of mind. My goal is to teach you what you need to know about business legalese as it relates to your specific situation so you can feel confident in making work and business decisions for yourself as the possibilities for how and when we work continue to expand. 

The law should be simple, accessible, and easy to understand for everyday people. My goal is to make that more true than not true everyday. 

Here’s to keeping it simple and working on your own terms!