Chapter 31

Legal Documents

Grammalogues

Business secretaries will probably not be called upon to take legal dictation, but it’s helpful to have a brief knowledge of legal grammalogues. A grammalogue is a shorthand shortcut for full expressions used. When taking dictation, it’s useful to be able to write in one stroke the representation for “time is of the essence,” “writ of habeas corpus,” “denied certiorari,” and other phrases. You can have your notes complete before the person dictating has finished a sentence because you know what he or she means to say and how to record it quickly.

Document Formats

When you are asked to type or print a legal document, use plain white legal paper, 8½ × 14 inches, or legal cap paper, which is the same size ...

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