EVENT: IALS – Is Legislation Literature? (Sir William Dale Annual Memorial Lecture)

Posted September 11th, 2014 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Legislation has the limited object of changing the law. So it consists of abstract rules of general application which appeal to the intellect. Other forms of writing can summon up mental pictures of individual people and events and appeal to the emotions. Another consequence of its limited object is that every word of an Act counts and its language is spare. Techniques available to other writers (like repetition and exuberance) are generally denied to the drafter. So drafting is unlikely to produce literature. The fascination lies in producing something precise and clear while operating within the inherent restraints.’

Date: 3rd November 2014, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.