Tone is a legal artefact

2026-10-22 · Contracts

In legal writing, tone is not decoration. It is the thing the other side negotiates against.

The argument is not about policy, it is about tone. In legal writing, tone is not decoration; it is the thing the other side negotiates against.

A neutral clause reads as a threat when the reader is already annoyed. Draft for the hostile reader. If the sentence can be misunderstood by someone looking for a fight, it will be. Read your own draft as the person who has already decided you are the problem.

Written for legal professionals. Not legal advice. Always verify every authority and let a named lawyer sign off.