What Are Legal Transition Words?
Legal transition words are strong connectors or linking words that play a crucial role in legal writing. Transition words or phrases serve three primary purposes in legal documents. These words and phrases can show contrast, similarity, addition, or cause and effect. They also help identify legal issues and guide the reader through the writer’s structure of thought. The purpose of legal transition words is to increase the readability of legal documents. Good transitions enhance and clarify the relationship between thoughts expressed in a sentence , paragraph, or document. Transition words should be used consistently in legal writing to maintain flow and continuity. Those who read a lot of legal documents can spot transitional words seamlessly throughout the text while reading. This characteristic adds to the quality and professionalism of the writing.
Categories of Legal Transition Words
The types of legal transition words you will use depend upon the category of legal writing in which your work falls. The main categories in which legal transition words appear are cause and effect, contrast, addition, and conclusion.
Cause and effect legal transition words are used when you want to describe an event as the result of another. If you are writing a legal paper or document intended to persuade, you may use this type of transition to explain that your case stands or falls due to an event or series of events. If you are stating an argument as a fact, you may use these transition words to demonstrate causation. Examples of cause and effect transition words include: because of, as a result of, owing to, due to, on account of, in consideration of, as a consequence, since, for the reason that, attributable to, thanks to, caused by, reasons for, caused, and as long as.
Contrast transition words are most often used when there are alternative ways of doing something or when you wish to frame the discussion in light of the same. This type of transition is also an effective way of identifying the merits of one argument over another, which can be very effective when you are writing in advocacy of a cause. Examples of contrast transition words include: in spite of, on the contrary, conversely, unlike, on the other hand, in comparison, in contrast, while, whereas, but, though, yet, except, although, despite, except for, rather than, instead of, on the contrary, despite, notwithstanding, not withstanding, even so, however, but still, even though, and otherwise.
Addition transition words should be used when you want to add information to an argument, which is relevant to a point just made. These transition words are also effective when you want to let your reader know he or she has not read everything required for understanding. Examples of addition transition words include: further, furthermore, first, second, third, in addition, additionally, for one thing, another thing, besides, likewise, next, too, as well, next, moreover, not to mention, plus, as a final point, and lastly.
Conclusion transition words are used at the end of a paper or document to summarize what you have written. These concluding transition words can also be used to highlight or stress the entire discussion, if necessary. Examples of conclusion transition words include: all things considered, all in all, after all, as a result, basically, by and large, despite everything, for the most part, in any event, generally, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, overall, o be sure, on balance, on the whole, in brief, on the one hand, so, then, therefore, thus, to sum up, to summarize, ultimately, and while.
The Advantages of Using Transition Words in Legal Writing
Clear and compelling legal documents do not happen through chance; they are purposely set out in a logical and convincing manner.
That’s why the language you use to connect the different ideas in your writing matters. Transition words glue your ideas together, enabling you to create logical connections between your sentences, paragraphs, sections or chapters.
With the help of transitions, your legal writing becomes easy to follow and thus more persuasive. Think of them as verbal signposts or connecting words that tell your readers what to do, what to pay attention to, and how to navigate the document.
By using transition words effectively, you’ll also help your reader make the mental adjustments required to move from one idea to another. In other words, your transitional words will give your reader a signal that you are about to present a contrasting idea or are adding on to what you’ve just stated. They can even provide a recap to remind your reader of what you’ve just covered in the previous section or paragraph.
The importance of transition words in legal writing cannot be overstated. They also give you the tremendous ability to inject persuasive power into your words.
Even in the most fact-heavy legal documents, your perspective and interpretation of the facts will shine through your legal writing. That’s the power of the written word. And it’s this same power that makes transition words so indispensable. Transitions can make your legal writing more persuasive by adding subtle adjustments to your sentence structure, tone, and writing style.
Common Legal Transition Word Mistakes
As with all elements of writing, you can mess up expert use of legal transition words and phrases. Here are a few things to watch out for as you aim for mastery.
The most common mistakes we make is using filler words in our transitions. The most prevalent of these is "clearly." This word in is the sort of thing that gets your document rejected right out of the gate. The rule here is simple: keep your adjectives to yourself. You can think your point is clear, but no one cares what you think. And even if the reader does care, find a way to be clear without all the extra stuff.
Some transition words require a comma, and some don’t. Have a style guide for yourself to keep track of these rules. If in doubt, just use a comma. You can always delete it after. Most importantly, avoid using transition words in clumps. This happens more frequently when there are multiple transition words that have similar meanings , such as: in addition, additionally, moreover, likewise, further, further, also, and in the same vein. You want your prose to flow easily and not be bumpy with awkward sentences. Keeping your legalese simple also helps with clarity.
This goes along with the previous mistake. But in general, using the wrong punctuation to separate transitions is common when you’re trying to fill space for length. You don’t need to add these bits of filler to be good at legal writing (you’re not fooling anyone anyway by beefing up your document with extra junk). Putting commas before transition words can cause readers to lose their place and miss the connection you’re trying to make. The best way to avoid these mistakes is to stick to the basics of good writing. Keep it simple but clear.
Legal Transition Word Tips and Tricks
One of the best ways to find an appropriate transition word is to think about what you are trying to convey in your brief: precisely what are you moving from and moving to? It sounds simple, and it is, but focusing on that specific question will help you choose the right transition word. For example, if you intend a long section to turn to a new point, consider "however," "on the other hand," "but" or other similar transitions. If you are simply finishing a point, words like "in the end" or "in conclusion" or "ultimately" might work well.
In addition to paring down legalese and using more everyday words, professional editors recommend avoiding too many transitional phrases. It is tempting to use a transition word or phrase at the beginning of almost every paragraph to show a transition is being made, perhaps because that makes it sound as if the writer is making the transition obvious. However, don’t overuse transitional phrases because you want to have them dot your brief. When your transitions become a crutch, then they lose their strength when they are truly needed.
Examples of Legal Transition Words
In the courtroom, clarity is often as important as an arsenal of legal knowledge. Consider the following excerpt from a hypothetical legal brief that would benefit from an array of transition words:
- The plaintiff alleges that the defendant failed to perform her contractual obligations. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages.
- The plaintiff states that the defendant breached her duties under the contract when she failed to deliver the products on time. The defendant challenges this assertion.
- However, the record shows that the plaintiff had no damages when the defendant failed to deliver. For this reason, the plaintiff should not prevail.
- In addition to the breach of contract claim, the plaintiff also asserts that the defendant acted in bad faith in the negotiation of the contract.
Regardless of the actual facts , the reader can follow the logical flow much more easily when transition words guide the movement from one thought to another:
- The plaintiff alleges that the defendant failed to perform her contractual obligations. First, the plaintiff seeks money damages.
- Specifically, the plaintiff states that the defendant breached her duties to the plaintiff under the contract when she failed to deliver the products on time. Second, the defendant challenges this assertion.
- However, the record shows that the plaintiff incurred no damages when the defendant failed to deliver. For this reason, the plaintiff should not prevail.
- In addition to the breach of contract claim, the plaintiff also alleges that the defendant acted in bad faith in the negotiation of the contract.
The same techniques and effects apply with equal force to paragraphs of a brief or motion, internal sections of a law review article, passages from a deposition, an argument or even entire chapters.