John GilliesMy great-grandmother’s shortbread recipeThis recipe came to me through my maternal grandmother; it was her mother’s shortbread recipe. My great-grandmother, Mary Ellen Rae…Dec 10, 2017Dec 10, 2017
John GilliesNew edition of “A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting”The fourth edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting (MSCD) has just recently been published. It is a must-have reference work for…Nov 13, 2017Nov 13, 2017
John GilliesLearning to play jazz pianoI started to learn to play jazz piano at age 47. I wasn’t starting from scratch, in that I’d had two years of piano lessons in Grades 7 and…Mar 9, 2017Mar 9, 2017
John GilliesinContractStandardsWhite Space Is Your FriendWhen editing a legal agreement, one of the easiest yet most useful tasks you can carry out is to create white space. You do this by taking…Jan 4, 2017Jan 4, 2017
John GilliesinContractStandardsCreate “Horizontal Consistency” Amongst Your DocumentsOne common problem with precedent initiatives is the failure to plan for maintaining the collection, once created. The most obvious aspect…Dec 1, 2016Dec 1, 2016
John GilliesinContractStandardsPlain language drafting: Write for your readerThe push for plain language drafting is, of course, nothing new. Joseph Kimble, Emeritus professor at WMU–Cooley Law School, has been…Nov 17, 2016Nov 17, 2016
John GilliesinContractStandardsYour Style Guide: A Critical Factor for SuccessAlthough it may not be self-evident, adopting a house style guide is one of the most important things you can have to help improve the…Nov 10, 2016Nov 10, 2016
John GilliesinContractStandardsOne Substantive Issue Per ClauseAmong the most important things to do in your drafting is to ensure that every clause addresses one and only one substantive issue.Nov 3, 2016Nov 3, 2016
John GilliesinContractStandardsClear, “Meaty” Clause CaptionsAmong the most important things to do in your drafting is to insure that every clause has a clear, “meaty” caption (or heading).Oct 27, 2016Oct 27, 2016
John GilliesinContractStandardsCreate a Clear, Logical StructureThere are several important but necessary principles you should apply to make your legal agreements better, including usingOct 20, 2016Oct 20, 2016