LawProse Lesson #231: Are you coming or going?

What’s your conclusion of choice:      1. Wherefore premises considered, Defendants demand this Court grant Defendants’ Motion and enter a take-nothing judgment against Plaintiff.      2. For all the foregoing reasons, Defendants request this Court to grant Defendants’ Motion and enter a take-nothing judgment against Plaintiff.      3. The problem presented by this case is of such ancient vintage—and of such perennial recurrence—that even the Romans had a rule for it: “No one can derive benefit from his own wrongs.” Yet that is precisely what Mr. Onweagtuku seeks to do: he overstayed his visa by three days, put Skyflier Airlines in the position of not being able to transport him outside the United States, missed a business meeting in his native country, and now seeks a $7.2 million windfall from Skyflier for the problem that he himself created. This case should detain the Court no longer.      If you’ve chosen the common and provincially hidebound example 1 or 2, you should consider why you believe ending on a weak note is the best for your client. If you want to learn how to write freshly and powerfully like example 3, then consider joining Garner for a morning of Advanced Legal Writing & Editing.