Speaking Different Languages

I am always surprised by the disconnect between the language of the written law, the legal professionals and the clients they are meant to serve. In law school, we are trained to analyze and imitate the written legal opinions of some of our nation's best legal minds. But we are not typically trained in how to make the law understandable to the average citizen. I think this creates an endless cycle of people having to rely on attorneys for advice on some of the basic legal rights and protections afforded them, simply because they cannot interpret the language of the law or even know where to look to find the law that relates to their legal matter. While this creates more work for attorneys, I think it is a disservice to the public. But on a positive note, I think it is getting better. For example, http://www.nccourts.org/ is the NC Court system's website and they have a general faqs section and make an effort to at least point people in the right direction. However, I think there continues to be room for improvement in the communication between the law profession and the public we serve. I don't know if the answer is more practical, "real world" law school training or more legal education in public schools. In any event, making legal advice easily comprehensible to clients is something I make a concerted effort to achieve.