This workshop involves in-person training, split over a morning and an afternoon session on Wednesday 11 September 2024. Catering is included in the price of this workshop so please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

A maximum of two people per organisation may register.

Schedule

9:20am - 9:30am: Arrival

9:30am - 12:00pm: Morning session (morning tea included)

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch break. Lunch provided part of the workshop

1.00pm – 4.00pm: Afternoon session (afternoon tea 2:30pm)

Why plain language?

Many people, including those with good literacy skills, have difficulty reading and understanding written communications about legal matters.

The law is often complex. Explaining the law in plain language can be challenging.

This interactive plain language workshop will help you get your message across. Learn how to create clear, engaging and easy-to-read letters, fact sheets and other pieces of legal writing.

About the workshop

The workshop is delivered with Leo Cussen Centre for Law and run by Bob Milstein of Words & Beyond. Bob is a practising lawyer and plain language expert.

The workshop can accommodate a maximum of 20 people. It is kept deliberately small to maximise opportunities for interaction and personalised feedback.

The workshop will cover topics including:

What is plain language and why does it matter
The professional writing voice and associated myths
Your documents as the voice of your brand
Adjusting your tone for different audiences and purposes
Word selection and sentence structure
How to make your point effectively
Planning, structuring and editing your document
Verbs vs nouns
Using the active and passive voice
How spelling, grammar and punctuation influence readability

Participants are required to complete a preliminary exercise before the workshop, and will also asked to submit a sample of their professional writing.

What is included in the price?

The cost includes:

In-person training in a small group setting
Detailed personalised written feedback on your preliminary exercise submission
A range of written resources that you can use to improve your documents

Victoria Law Foundation offers this training at a highly subsidised rate to support the legal profession to communicate more effectively with the public.

Who can attend?

This workshop is open to both legal and non-legal staff whose work involves the provision of legal services, legal information or legal advice in Victoria.

Priority registration is available for people who work at community legal organisations, including Community Legal Centres, VALS, Djirra and Victoria Legal Aid.

Not sure if you’re eligible? Check out our terms and conditions

Read more about our Plain Language Workshops.