Volunteer Writing Guide

This guide explains how to review and draft new articles, format articles, and where to cite sources of law.

Introduction

The People’s Law Library (PLL) provides self-represented litigants in Maryland state courts with legal information, including summaries of the law, links to primary and secondary legal sources, and referrals for legal services. Topics include housing, family law, domestic violence, life and health planning, and consumer law.

Most users are current or prospective parties to a case, though many visit the site with legal concerns outside active cases.

This guide is intended for volunteers donating their time and expertise to improve Marylanders’ access to accurate and impartial legal information. The guide is divided into the following sections:

Thank you for your service!

When you review an article or draft a new article, you are donating it to PLL and improving the site. We appreciate your time and effort and want to recognize it; please let us know your preferred attribution.

 

Editorial commentary

Audience

Writing for the public is challenging because your knowledge about the audience is limited. There are certain assumptions you can make when writing for PLL. You may assume readers have a high school education, reside in Maryland, and are short on time.

Questions to ask yourself when reviewing or drafting an article:

  • Reader Intent: What legal problem is the reader trying to solve? What are their primary and secondary goals?
  • Context: What is the procedural posture? Is the reader seeking pre-case guidance, active litigation support, or post-case next steps?
  • Perspective: Does the content of the article make assumptions about the reader’s situation? View the goal through the reader’s eyes.
  • Complexity: What is the most unexpected, counter-intuitive, or confusing aspect of the topic for a reader?
  • Risk assessment: Describe the specific risks involved with the article. What is the worst-case scenario if the article is wrong or if the reader does not understand it?

Purpose

What is the goal of the article?

Purpose Type of Article
A general background understanding of an area of law.
Example: “What do I need to know about getting a divorce?”		 Overview
An explanation of the legal options for dealing with a specific circumstance.
Example: “What are my legal options when my boss fires me?”		 Options
An explanation of a technical legal process.
Example: “How do I file a motion in a Maryland Circuit Court?”		 Process
An explanation of how a process works in a specific county.
Example: “What are the specific steps for recording a land deed in Baltimore County?”		 Process and/or Compilation
Many topics inspire basic questions that are obvious to lawyers but are roadblocks to self-represented litigants.
Example: “I’m getting divorced. Can I ask the court to change my last name back to my previous name in the divorce or do I have to file a name change petition?”		 Frequently asked questions

Organization

Web content is dynamic. The article’s structure is almost as important as the content. As web users are in a hurry, they typically make decisions about whether a page contains useful information in about 15 seconds. It probably took you 15 seconds to read this paragraph.

Eye tracking studies show how users scan a page to decide whether it has the information they are looking for. Since most human users of PLL access the site on mobile devices, we employ a layer-cake approach to content structure. This approach relies on effective headings and subheadings. Additionally, articles with multiple sections must include a table of contents with jump links to each specific section of the article for easy navigation.

Content model

PLL uses a taxonomy-based content model. The taxonomy is hierarchical.

For example: Housing → Eviction → Notice requirements.

Ideally, each second-level taxonomy term will include a summary article, or hub, and related articles with more specific information, or spokes. For example:

  • Primary taxonomy term: Family law
  • Second taxonomy term: Child support
  • Hub article: Legal Overview of Child Support
  • Spokes: other articles addressing more specific aspects of child support

Scope and length

Determining an article’s scope often requires analyzing its relationship to existing articles. Articles should range from 500–1,500 words. Articles under 500 words should be added to an existing article as a new section, while those longer than 1,500 words should be split into a related series of articles using a hub-and-spoke approach. Sometimes a different approach is appropriate. For example, an overview article plus a companion frequently asked questions article.

Articles should exist with knowledge of other articles. Defining the article’s scope at the beginning helps readers find the information they need faster.

Tone

As a Maryland Judiciary website, PLL provides impartial legal summaries. Writing must remain neutral by avoiding personal opinions and biases toward any party. PLL articles are explanations; they do not editorialize.

While some statutes reflect the government’s point of view, you must write from your audience’s point of view. Where “rights” are involved, your audience may be in conflict with the government.

Address Marylanders primarily in your writing, but be sure to adjust your wording to reflect the reality that non-Marylanders will also be reading. We do not have to go far in trying to accommodate non-Marylanders, but we have to put them on notice when what we are saying is only true or applicable in Maryland.

 

Article review checklist

The purpose of article review is to ensure PLL’s articles contain accurate information. Changes to statutes or regulations, or new cases, may have taken effect since the date of the last review. At this level of review, focus on accuracy and clarity; we are not looking for stylistic perfection. Many articles will still be legally accurate and may only need slight edits for clarity.

Note: the “Last Updated” date on the article webpage may not be accurate. We will provide the date of the last accuracy review.

  1. Read. Read the article from start to finish and read the Editorial Commentary and Use of AI sections in this guide.
  2. Review the law.
    1. Start with the existing citations. Pay careful attention to the last amendment date for statutes and regulations.
    2. Read a Maryland-specific secondary source or do your own statutory, case, or rule research. Be clear about the contours of the legal topic.
  3. Verify assertions. Make sure the article accurately reflects current law, and that there are no significant omissions. An amendment to a statute may have added provisions and these may need to be added to the article.
  4. Develop. We strive to include citations for each paragraph or section. If an assertion does not have a citation, research and include appropriate citations.
  5. Check citation formatting. Ensure citations are formatted as described in the Style Guide.
  6. Check links. Make sure that any links on the page work properly and go to intended content.
  7. Simplify and clarify. Review the article for consistent word choice, clear and direct language, and web content best practices. Refer to the Editorial Commentary and Style Guide for tips.

 

Drafting a new article

Research and planning

Research broadly. There is no substitute for thoroughly understanding the topic you are trying to explain. If you are writing about an unfamiliar area of law, most of your time will be spent learning!

When creating new content for the site, review a number of resources. Begin with secondary sources to get an overview of the subject. New content should be informed by several resources with different perspectives. A good place to start is the Conference of Maryland Circuit Court Law Library Directors Core Collection List.

PLL articles should identify and link to relevant primary law sources. To view the standardized list of sources for linking, refer to the Citation format and sources section. Be careful with citing to cases. They often require expertise to interpret. Articles may cite to cases when the case cited has a clear definitive statement of the law easily understandable by a lay party.

Organizing and outlining

The research process will yield a great volume of unsorted information. You must take care in sorting the information and presenting it in a way that will help readers answer their questions.

Introduction: Begin by drafting an introductory sentence or paragraph that gives context for the topic. The introduction should explain to the reader what is included, and what is not included, in the article. Start with the thirty-thousand-foot view of the topic you will cover, and then zoom in. Here are 2 mental exercises that may help you develop a high-level summary:

  • Try to summarize your topic in 30 words.
  • Imagine explaining your topic to a 12-year-old.

Arranging topics: There are often multiple ways to divide and present a topic. Sometimes the organization scheme easiest for the writer makes the article much harder for a reader to parse. For example, you could organize an article according to the code sections or book volumes where you initially found the information. This is a great way to be sure you include all the relevant information. However, that approach forces the reader to read a great deal of extra information before deciding which relates to their own situation.

After drafting your introduction, consider outlining your sections and summarizing each main point. When brainstorming sections, try to anticipate what questions may have brought the reader to this topic. Imagine explaining the topic verbally, and mentally “listen” for the questions that would flow from your explanation. Question-based headings can be particularly effective for guiding readers.

An outline may look like this:

The section outline can also serve as the Table of Contents for the finished article.

At this point, consider possibilities for the title. A good title is critical for helping readers choose your article. Readers typically find articles by search, so consider including important keywords in the title. Demonstrating the main question to be answered is a good approach. Therefore, you may want to phrase the title as a question. Sometimes the type of article will entail a logical title. For example, “Frequently Asked Questions about Service of Process.” Aim for 8 words or fewer.

Writing tips

The average session duration for People’s Law is less than 90 seconds. People are reading your article to understand how to take action. Minimize general discussions of doctrine, history, and policy. Help your audience solve a problem. Start each paragraph with your conclusion, then back it up.

  • Simplify wording without losing meaning. New content should clearly state the problem, or legal issue, that the information addresses. Content should be written in plain language at a tenth-grade reading level. Keep your sentences short. Break long sentences into multiple shorter sentences.
  • Use shorter, common words. For example, use “lawyer” instead of “attorney” and “follow” instead of “conform.” If using a complex term or legal jargon is unavoidable, provide a definition.
  • Use terms consistently throughout the document. Do not switch from “senior citizens” to “elderly.”
  • Write in the active voice, unless you have a specific reason not to.
  • Use personal pronouns. Consider referring to the reader as “you.”
  • Use the command form, or imperative mood, to explain a process, but do so carefully. “Should” is tricky. We are not offering advice. However, when explaining a process, you can use the command form to direct the reader through the process. Readers want instructions.
  • Turning verbs into nouns, or nominalizations, makes for long-winded, unclear sentences. “Usage of cell phones in court is prohibited” is less clear than “Don’t use cell phones in court.”
  • Use gender-neutral language. Use they, them, and theirs instead of he, him, his, she, her, or hers.

Statutory language versus plain language

“Statutory language” — the language of statutes and other legal rules — is constructed to stand the test of time. The wording must be applicable the day it is drafted as well as years into the future, when lawyers will rely on it to measure situations as yet undetermined. That’s why statutory language contains so many qualifiers and apparently redundant descriptive clauses in an attempt to be precise.

Plain language is not meant to stand as law, but to communicate efficiently and directly.

Untangling the Law: Strategies for Legal Writers, by Kristin R. Woolever, Wadsworth, Inc., 1987.

Visual clarity

Visual clarity helps focus the reader’s attention. Most PLL users access the site on a mobile device, so remember the layer-cake organization strategy. These are some additional tips:

  • Readers may only read your headings and subheadings.
  • Whitespace is user friendly.
  • Use numbered or bulleted lists to clarify the steps in a process.
  • When emphasis is needed, bold the text.
  • Do not use italics. It can be difficult to read. Also try to avoid underlining.

PLL articles are straightforward, practical texts. This is the order of priorities:

  1. Be accurate.
  2. Be clear.
  3. Be artful.

A note about citations

Citations in a PLL article are presented immediately after the paragraph in which the law is discussed. During your research, you may have found helpful resources other than primary law. Please provide a list of these resources so PLL editors can add to the article.

Because PLL is a practical summary of the law aimed at a public audience, and not a scholarly journal, you do not need to cite for very basic concepts that a lawyer would readily be able to establish. Remember, however, that lawyers do use the site. If you are making a statement a lawyer might wish to use, it is a good idea to identify the statutory text you rely on and to include the citation after the paragraph.

Editing and proofreading

By the time you have researched and drafted your article, you have developed the Curse of Knowledge:

  1. You now know so much about this topic that it is easy to lose sight of the one thing your reader needs to read.
  2. Because you know what you meant to say, it is easy to be blind to the ambiguities that will prevent your readers from understanding your words.

Example: This sentence has 7 meanings, depending which word you stress as you read it: I never said she stole my money.

Here are some tips for the editing process:

  • Read mischievously. Try to “break” your writing. Try to misinterpret it. Then fix it so you cannot.
  • Get someone else to read the draft.
    • An AI tool can be very useful for providing feedback on drafts. When given the right prompt, an AI system can act as different types of readers and provide feedback from several unique perspectives.
  • Consider reading your draft aloud, or have an electronic narrator read it to you.
  • Learn to recognize red flags. Sometimes, passive voice and nominalizations are appropriate. However, they always serve as red flags, reminding you to re-read. Often, they are pointers to places you can edit for clarity.

 

Use of AI features and tools

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is evolving rapidly. To maintain reliability and accuracy, we have only one rule: all words published on PLL are written by humans. This is not to say that humans are always more accurate than AI, but PLL staff are ultimately responsible for the information published on the site, and therefore we believe a human should always be the author.

We use AI in our workflows. These uses include:

  • Building custom applications and investigating new website features.
  • Producing redlines.
  • Using AI as the audience to identify gaps, confusing language, or improve structure.
  • Synthesizing large amounts of legal information and distilling a topic down to essential elements.

We encourage experimentation with new tools. PLL volunteer work can provide a unique opportunity to try out new AI tools. If there is a new tool or feature you have wanted to test but you are hesitant to use confidential work product, consider using the PLL article for testing. We would be very interested in hearing feedback on your results. 

All the information published on PLL is public, so feel free to paste whole articles into chatbots. We actually want to be used in training data and as an information source.

 

Style guide and sources of law

Content

  • Gendered Language
    • Replace gendered pronouns, such as she, her, hers, he, him, and his, with gender-neutral pronouns, such as they, them, and their.
    • Example: “If the minor is at least 16 years old, and otherwise qualified, they can designate a guardian of the property.”
  • Special capitalization
    • Capitalize parties, such as Plaintiff, Defendant, Petitioner, and Respondent.
  • Readability Statistics
    • Use high school level or lower.
    • While there is a preference for lower readability statistics, do not sacrifice clarity or accuracy.
  • Web addresses
    • The Maryland Judiciary’s web address should be written as mdcourts.gov, not www.courts.state.md.us.
    • Prefer hyperlinked text. Use “Maryland Courts,” not “access the Maryland Courts at www.mdcourts.gov.”
  • Tables
    • Avoid whenever possible.
    • If necessary, ensure the table is easily understood on a mobile device.

Citation format and sources

Note about caselaw: Articles should not liberally cite case law. A PLL article is not a legal memorandum. Cases often require expertise to interpret, and not all cases are freely available. Important cases may be listed among the resources to investigate in the Read the Law citation. Content may cite to cases when the case in question has a clear definitive statement of the law easily understandable by a lay party.

Numbers

  • General rule: use digits rather than words. For example, use 4 instead of four.

Formatting

  • Use the series comma: apples, oranges, and bananas.
  • Avoid Latin terminology, if at all possible.
    • Use "self-represented litigant (SRL)", "not pro se". Use “for example” instead of “e.g.”
    • Do not italicize pro bono, pro se, etc.
  • Avoid acronyms. For example, use Supreme Court of Maryland, not SCM, and Administrative Office of the Courts, not AOC.
  • Abbreviate common terms only. For example, street, Maryland, and Avenue.
  • Avoid underlining and italics. When emphasis is required, bold the text.

Maryland Judiciary-specific

  • Prefer plain language for Circuit Court and District Court. For example, use Anne Arundel County Circuit Court instead of Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County.
  • District Court is capitalized as a proper noun. Circuit Court is capitalized despite this being grammatically incorrect.
  • The state has 23 counties and Baltimore City.
  • Use “judgment,” not “judgement.”

Computer terms

  • Use “e-filing,” or “E-filing” if it is at the beginning of the sentence. Same rules apply to e-recording and other electronic filing systems.
  • Use “email,” not “e-mail.”
  • Capitalize “Internet” and “Web.” Related words, such as webmaster, website, and podcast, are not capitalized.
  • Use “online,” not “on-line” or “on line.”
Source URL: https://www.peoples-law.org/volunteer-writing-guide

List of links present in page
  1. https://www.peoples-law.org/volunteer-writing-guide
  2. #editorial-commentary
  3. #article-review-checklist
  4. #drafting-a-new-article
  5. #use-of-ai-features-and-tools
  6. #style-guide-and-sources-of-law
  7. http://www.courts.state.md.us
  8. http://www.mdcourts.gov
  9. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/Statutes
  10. https://govt.westlaw.com/mdc/Browse/Home/Maryland/MarylandCodeCourtRules
  11. https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar
  12. https://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/opinions
  13. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/
  14. https://uscode.house.gov/
  15. https://www.ecfr.gov/reader-aids/using-ecfr/getting-started
  16. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/
  17. https://www.mdcourts.gov/lawlib/research/gateway-to-md-law/county-codes
  18. https://www.mdcourts.gov/lawlib/research/gateway-to-md-law/municipal-codes