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DC Circuit Not A OK W/ Acronyms

Just got this smart note from the DC Circuit:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
District of Columbia Circuit

*****************************************************
NOTICE
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The D.C. Circuit Rules permit the use of abbreviations, including acronyms, in briefs, provided the brief contains a glossary defining the abbreviations, other than those that are part of common usage. D.C. Cir. Rule 28(a)(3). To enhance the clarity of the brief, the court strongly urges parties to limit the use of acronyms. While acronyms may be used for entities and statutes with widely recognized initials, such as FERC and FOIA, parties should avoid using acronyms that are not widely known.

MARK J. LANGER, Clerk of Court
E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001-2866
Telephone (202) 216-7000

I totally agree with this ("TAWT").

Nothing clutters a brief up more than excessive definitions and acronyms, especially for parties or entities that don't otherwise use the shortened definition regularly.

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on January 26, 2010 (boomark / email).