I always use the example of the legal defintion of "insanity" versus the colloquial vernacular of "insanity." "Well, we all know that Jeffrey Dahmer was off his rocker, but we wouldn't be able to use the legal definition of 'insanity' in his case because legalese defines 'sanity' as..." It makes the person see that you agree with them, that you're on the same page, but tht you are also working under restrictions. Keeping in mind the directive or the context in which a term is used is very important in something as sensitive as an ethics charge. There's nothing snotty or bureaucratic about that. I love studying law because I like finding the meaning of nuanced language.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-11-11 09:47 pm (UTC)"Well, we all know that Jeffrey Dahmer was off his rocker, but we wouldn't be able to use the legal definition of 'insanity' in his case because legalese defines 'sanity' as..." It makes the person see that you agree with them, that you're on the same page, but tht you are also working under restrictions. Keeping in mind the directive or the context in which a term is used is very important in something as sensitive as an ethics charge. There's nothing snotty or bureaucratic about that. I love studying law because I like finding the meaning of nuanced language.