Do U Think Acronyms R an Epidemic?
This week, a California appeals judge took issue in an opinion with lawyers’ descent “into an alphabet soup of jargon-based acronyms” in their briefs.
From a footnote in Judge David Sills’ opinion: “Consider, for example, this sentence, committed on page 32 of the appellant’s opening brief: ‘In June 22, 2000, CARB adopted an SCM for AIM coatings.’ Huh?” He later laments that “there are no rehab clinics for acronym addicts.”
What we’d like to hear from you: Have acronyms in legal filings become an epidemic, or can they not be avoided?
And, while maybe this is a horse of another color, also feel free to weigh in on the new wave of acronyms and shorthand that have developed in this age of text messaging, Twitter and Facebook. Are they a necessary evil, or just plain sloppy—not to mention constantly sending you running to UrbanDictionary.com to figure out what they mean?
Answer in the comments below.
Read the answers to last week’s question: When Confronted with Incivility, How Do You Handle It?
Featured Answer:
Posted by CM: I was proud of one of my partners when she told a screaming adversary on the phone “I’m sorry, I have teenagers, and I’ve discovered that the louder someone talks to me, the less I can hear. Please call me back when you can speak to me at a normal volume.”
