Effective legal communication requires balancing clarity against condescension

Evidence

But proper communication demands a balancing act. The communication should not be so circumspect and unadorned that the client feels patronized. On the other hand, the attorney should not assume that the client understands even those legal concepts and terms that the defense attorney considers clear or obvious. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 688

Categorization

• XREF: Resonates with the backfire question: communication that demeans or assumes understanding can undermine trust as surely as overt condescension. — connects to: Effective EJ organizing must reject savior-lawyer dynamics while still using legal help; Required statutory clarity varies with the literacy of its addressees — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 3519; A law can only shape behavior if it is communicated — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 1055
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 688