It’s more a question of adapting to style, but I have also found that “ex-colonial” decisions are much harder to understand. Indian lawyers are some of the worst pontificators.
Since you attribute such importance to being concise, I think you should look to amend your title.
Yeah, and they want to make it seem like they’re worth their big salaries, too.[/quote]
Know what top lawyers charge these days?
In the US, many charge $800/hour or more. In Hong Kong or London, many charge $1,000/hour or more.
I do believe part of the reason they talk funny is so the client (even a lawyer client) can’t figure out what they’re doing or not doing, can’t determine that the strategy is completely wrong and unecessary and nothing more than a long convulated process to incur more charges. But the judges? They’re not doing it to hide overcharging. With them apparently it just a desire to make a crappy little case sound like the height of sophistication over which His Honour wisely presided.
[quote=“itakitez”]It’s more a question of adapting to style, but I have also found that “ex-colonial” decisions are much harder to understand. Indian lawyers are some of the worst pontificators.
Since you attribute such importance to being concise, I think you should look to amend your title.[/quote]
We get it from the British :raspberry:
Done. 
Pompous Brit-speak!
Isn’t that Tautology or at least Repetition?
Actually I think you guys do it better than the British.
I believe you would like Justice Kirby. He is well known in Australia for being ‘the people’s justice’. Not only is he widely recognized for his astute, intelligent, and humanitarian rulings, he is also known for his straight talking and his wit.
[quote]KIRBY J: As Chief Justice Gleeson said in the special leave application, none of us look particularly beautiful in a balaclava; all of us look a little bit suspicious in a balaclava. It is certainly something that is very unusual. I have never heard of anything like this happening in a trial before.
MR GAME: This is a balaclava which, at this stage in the trial at least is not being said to be the balaclava that was used in the robbery. It is a balaclava taken from a spare bedroom at the house- - -
KIRBY J: Balaclavas are not a vast range of boutique product.
MR GAME: No, your Honour.[/quote]
[quote]GLEESON CJ: You will explain to us how you find a matching bet?
MR S J GAGELER SC: I will, yes. That brings me to the little demonstration, your Honours. Your Honours ought have a bundle of material which is entitled “Demonstration of Online Betting”.
HAYNE J: How much of this is on the CD?
MR GAGELER: This is all on the CD, your Honour. On the CD it is——
KIRBY J: We had a Playstation shown to us in Sony and it was very exciting. Why did you not try that?
MR GAGELER: This is more fun.
KIRBY J: It is one of the most exciting things that has happened in my time here.[/quote]
[quote]GUMMOW J: Very well. That is your position and the position of Mrs Antonio as well? You are speaking for Mrs Antonio as well?
MR ANTONIO: Yes, your Honour.
KIRBY J: Can you speak for Mrs Antonio, or has she asked you to speak for her, or would she rather speak for herself? We live in an age when sometimes wives want to speak for themselves.[/quote]
[quote]KIRBY J: … judges can talk until they are blue in the face and tell jurors not to do this or to do that but jurors will just reason in a commonsense way, and a G-string in front of a jury is, I would suspect, going to be very powerful testimony.
MR GAME: I think I have said all I can say in respect of that subject, your Honour.[/quote]
[quote]CALLINAN J: Mr Jackson, it seems to me that clearly the people at the party went out with the intention of getting drunk.
HAYNE J: Perhaps “hammered” is the more modern expression, Mr Jackson, or “well and truly hammered”.
KIRBY J: I do not know any of these expressions.
McHUGH J: No, no. Justice Hayne must live a very different life to the sort of life we lead.[/quote]
[quote]MR CLOUD: I have two applications seeking special leave - - -
KIRBY J: You are asking us to have patience. I have infinite patience, but I have to hear you, so you will have to speak up.
HAYNE J: I think, to that end, if we muted the Brisbane end, it might help us.
KIRBY J: So long as Mr Keane can hear. Can you hear, Mr Keane, now? We cannot hear you, but as long as you can hear. If you cannot hear, please make vigorous waving sounds and noises…[/quote]
[quote]KIRBY J: Was there a quality differential? Was Pauls not a more high class sort of ice-cream than Peters?
MR MARTIN: Different views were held by different consumers on that subject, I think, your Honour, and there is no evidence bearing directly on that.
KIRBY J: You do not have any samples for us?
MR MARTIN: No, I am afraid not, your Honour.[/quote]
[quote]MR GAME: There were hundreds of balaclavas, first in the garage and later moved - - -
KIRBY J: He going into the balaclava selling business, is he?
MR GAME: Yes.
KIRBY J: Hundreds of balaclavas.
MR GAME: Yes, your Honour.
KIRBY J: Since Sevastopol, how can there be hundreds of balaclavas?[/quote]
US legal writing has only undergone a simplified, direct concise English relatively recently. But I agree, HK/Eng cases are a pain in the ass to read; communicating with HK and Indian lawyers are comparable to beating yourself with a hammer. Listening to any lawyers circumlocute/being unresponsive also puts me to sleep (but Taiwanese seem to do it even when they aren’t trying to).
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]
[quote]Main Entry: pres·ent·ly
Pronunciation: \ˈpre-zənt-lē
Function: adverb
Date: 14th century
1 a archaic : at once b : without undue delay : before long
2 : at the present time : now
usage Both senses 1b and 2 are flourishing in current English, but many commentators have objected to sense 2. Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century, it is not clear why it is objectionable. Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame, but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects. The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper, written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics <the fastest-rising welfare cost is Medicaid, presently paid by the states and cities — William Safire>[/quote]
As for the like you know crap, I’m not advocating bad English. I’m advocating good, clear, simple, direct English. Shouldn’t that be considered preferable?[/quote]
Ah, Mother Theresa dearest, now that’s your error: you’re using Meriam-Webster to criticise English.
The Queen’s English.
Have you ever met her? She’s very English. And very Posh. Not like Posh Spice, but really Posh.
I understand what you mean, Mother Theresa. It wasn’t for nothing that the greatest wordsmith in the history of the American language once proclaimed: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
Presently.
Succinctly!
Absolutly!
The whole thread would be more aptly named “Trolling the British” .
Heres a checklist from Uncyclopidia on some good ideas for further trolling. MT and Uroducas use of the Queen already on the list, but theres lots more.
Trolling the British
The British (along with the French), are the only peoples in the world whom it is still widely acceptable to be racist towards. Here are a few suggestions you can use to troll the British to maximum effect;
Ask them if they know the Queen.
Refer to the UK as a “tiny island”.
Remind them that in Britain it rains every second of every day, and the temperature never goes above 5 degrees C.
Critcise their food.
Ask if they live in a mansion.
Ask where abouts in London they live.
Refer to the English as “British”
Refer to the whole of the UK as “England”
Bring up “bad teeth”, “ugly women” and “warm beer” in a debate.
Patronisingly refer to their accents as “cute” or “funny”.
Tell them their accents are annoying.
Well cry me a river. Britain is harldy homogeneous so I wouldn’t call it racist making fun of them. Besides Yanks have been the butt of everyone’s joke for the past decade so I think our friends across the pond can take a jab or two.
This dialogue from Snatch sums it up quite nicely:
Avi: Eighty-six carats.
Rosebud: Where?
Avi: London.
Rosebud: London?
Avi: London.
Avi’s Colleague: London?
Avi: Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins… LONDON
Avi: You got a toothbrush? We’re going to London. Do you hear that, Doug? I’m coming to London.
[Avi arrives in London]
Doug the Head: Avi!
Avi: Shut up and sit down, you big, bald fuck. I don’t like leaving my own country, Doug, and I especially don’t like leaving it for anything less then warm sandy beaches, and cocktails with little straw hats.
Doug the Head: We’ve got sandy beaches…
Avi: So? Who the fuck wants to see 'em?
[quote=“Mick”]The whole thread would be more aptly named “Trolling the British” .
Heres a checklist from Uncyclopidia on some good ideas for further trolling. MT and Uroducas use of the Queen already on the list, but theres lots more.
Trolling the British
The British (along with the French), are the only peoples in the world whom it is still widely acceptable to be racist towards. Here are a few suggestions you can use to troll the British to maximum effect;
Ask them if they know the Queen.
Refer to the UK as a “tiny island”.
Remind them that in Britain it rains every second of every day, and the temperature never goes above 5 degrees C.
Critcise their food.
Ask if they live in a mansion.
Ask where abouts in London they live.
Refer to the English as “British”
Refer to the whole of the UK as “England”
Bring up “bad teeth”, “ugly women” and “warm beer” in a debate.
Patronisingly refer to their accents as “cute” or “funny”.
Tell them their accents are annoying.[/quote]
You ‘sound’ American.
Loved Snatch, up there on my top ten. Groovy baby.
[quote=“occhimarroni”]Well cry me a river. Britain is harldy homogeneous so I wouldn’t call it racist making fun of them. Besides Yanks have been the butt of everyone’s joke for the past decade so I think our friends across the pond can take a jab or two.
This dialogue from Snatch sums it up quite nicely:
Avi: Eighty-six carats.
Rosebud: Where?
Avi: London.
Rosebud: London?
Avi: London.
Avi’s Colleague: London?
Avi: Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins… LONDON
Avi: You got a toothbrush? We’re going to London. Do you hear that, Doug? I’m coming to London.
[Avi arrives in London]
Doug the Head: Avi!
Avi: Shut up and sit down, you big, bald fuck. I don’t like leaving my own country, Doug, and I especially don’t like leaving it for anything less then warm sandy beaches, and cocktails with little straw hats.
Doug the Head: We’ve got sandy beaches…
Avi: So? Who the fuck wants to see 'em?[/quote]
The best movie ever for quotes and illustrating the cultural divide.
[quote=“M0NSTER”]
You ‘sound’ American.[/quote]
That comment is deserving of particularly obtuse and unfathomable pompous Brit-speak as a retort. Perhaps our American cousins could condense it into one word.
Hey!
[quote=“Mick”][quote=“M0NSTER”]
You ‘sound’ American.[/quote]
That comment is deserving of particularly obtuse and unfathomable pompous Brit-speak as a retort. Perhaps our American cousins could condense it into one word.[/quote]
I will only expect underhanded and snide remarks referring to my country of origin and my profession. But it’s all in good humor of course. “Takin the piss” and all that.