Judge: Best Plain English Legal Document

Legal and business proofreader and plain language editor, LegalProof, Nelson, New Zealand

Jacqueline is a plain language fan. She’s endlessly fascinated by the force for good that plain language and design principles can bring to the law.

Jacqueline worked for 10 years as a lawyer in the UK Law Centre movement and represented countless people facing eviction, job dismissal, and deportation. After moving to New Zealand in 2005, she specialised in family law. She saw first-hand the problems caused by convoluted, badly written (and boring) legal information. For many people, it was a barrier to them accessing justice — and that’s a terrible thing!

In 2017 Jacqueline left legal practice and set up LegalProof. She now provides legal and business proofreading and plain language editing services to lawyers, businesses, and anyone else who wants to make a difference with clear communication.

Jacqueline is a member of IPEd, Clarity International, and PLAIN.

View Jacqueline’s video in our gallery

Plain English Awards judges

How the judging process works