Law Society’s Gazette, October 1990

Lightening up on ‘legaldeegook’How many words does it take to tell someone that a house is ready for occupancy? Seventy-eight if you’re a lawyer – all crammed into one unpunctuated sentence bar a lonely full stop at the end.

All a wasted effort, according to solicitor Mark Adler, who says in his new book Clarity for Lawyers, released last week, that the whole concept could be nicely summed up in the simple phrase: ‘The house is ready.’

Another area Mr Adler addresses is punctuation – something which has nearly become extinct in legal documents. One explanation for its steady demise is that in the early nineteenth century punctuation was generally more of a hit and miss affair than a grammatical science.

A judge ruled at the time that, because punctuation was so arbitrary and confusing, it should just be ignored…

An unsung role without a brief An interview with Kay Holland, wife of Law Society President Tony HollandIt’s a job for which a spell in the Foreign Office would be useful preparation. It’s intellectually demanding, physically taxing and takes over your life even before you begin the 12-month stint involved. Yet it is a job with no precise brief. ‘You make it up as you go along,’ says Kay Holland…

Cooking is not part of the president’s wife’s drill – Law Society caterers look after that – but she does choose all menus meticulously. Right now she is researching the dining preferences of a much sought-after guest; Margaret Thatcher (pictured) is coming to lunch in December…

She also serves as a first sounding board for presidential speeches. Several drafts of the Glasgow conference speech were played out in the Carey Street ‘studio’ before the final product emerged.

For Kay Holland, the disruptive elements of the job of president’s wife were arguably less bothersome than for others who have previously filled the role. Her three sons, all in their 20s, live away from home, and she has been able to shed temporarily her long-time charitable work for the Save the Children Fund…