You, kind reader, are not the language police. Neither am I.

There are people and organizations that take great pains to gain policing power over language. The height of their power is a notch below a citizen’s arrest. Unless we give them more.

At Besparc, our writing style is driven by three main beliefs.

• Complex information is most accessible to the widest audience when written in plain language.
• Inclusive language acknowledges and empowers individuals while removing barriers to communication.
• Customers know best their own needs and voice.

Before launching Besparc, we examined some of the issues around language to discover our set of internal standards. Our style guide moves through four of these standards:

• Plain Language Principles,
• Inclusive Language Principles,
• File-Naming Conventions,
• Citation Method, and
• Narrative Style.

Experience has taught us that simplicity, reliability, and accessibility are foundational to understanding the law as it is and to write it as it should be. Our standards aim to strengthen access to reliable and simple legal information.

Whenever a customer wants a specific file-naming convention, citation method, or narrative style element, we adapt to serve well. And when a customer doesn’t have a preference, we use the Besparc Style Guide, a hybrid collection of our education, experience, and common sense.

The full Besparc Style Guide is available to prospective customers who have requested services.