The plain language of law. Statement of the problem, general approaches and current trends

  • Anna S. Gritsenko Higher School of Economics, 17 Promyshlennaya Street, Saint Petersburg 198099, Russia; North-West Institute of Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, 57 Srednii Avenue, Saint Petersburg 199178, Russia
  • Alexey V. Antonov Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, 1 Senatskaya Square, Saint Petersburg 190000, Russia; St Petersburg University, 7 Universitetskaya Embankment, 9 building, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of drafting laws, contracts and other legal documents in plain language. This has become one of the new trends among scientists and practitioners. The authors, referring to the opinion of experts, indicate that over the past 5–10 years the quality of legal documents in Russia has decreased. This led to an interest in what the wording of the law should be in order for it to be clear and understandable. The article analyses foreign experience, as well as new trends, including the use of artificial intelligence and methods of deep neural networks in rule-making.

Author Biographies

Anna S. Gritsenko, Higher School of Economics, 17 Promyshlennaya Street, Saint Petersburg 198099, Russia; North-West Institute of Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, 57 Srednii Avenue, Saint Petersburg 199178, Russia

PhD (law); senior lecturer at the department of constitutional and administrative law, faculty of law, Higher School of Economics, and associate professor at the department of jurisprudence, faculty of law, North-West Institute of Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

Alexey V. Antonov, Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, 1 Senatskaya Square, Saint Petersburg 190000, Russia; St Petersburg University, 7 Universitetskaya Embankment, 9 building, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia

counsellor at the department of international relations, Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, and lecturer at the department of constitutional law, faculty of law, St Petersburg University

References

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Published
2022-04-20
Keywords: plain language, law, preparation of regulations, requirement for clarity and simplicity, rule-making, machine-readable law
How to Cite
Gritsenko, A. S., & Antonov, A. V. (2022). The plain language of law. Statement of the problem, general approaches and current trends. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Law, 1, 3-15. Retrieved from https://journals.bsu.by/index.php/law/article/view/4565
Issue
No 1 (2022): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Law
Section
Theory and History of Law and State