If you’ve ever attempted to read a piece of past legislation and found yourself unable to understand the language, you’re not alone. Legal English barely resembles modern American English, and is in many cases difficult to decipher and understand for the everyday citizen.

However, what you might not know is that there are a variety of services that can help you better understand legislative news, state and federal statutes and regulations and more.

So why is Legal English so hard for us to read? For one, the Legal English used in legal statutes and legislative history still relies heavily on Latin words and terminology. Legal English is also used in most cases for dramatic effect. When written, Legal English lacks punctuation because of the long-held belief that punctuation wasn’t important to the text.

As a result, it’s not only useful, but essential to seek out the help of a legislative intent service, even if your civil tort case won’t end up being one of the 2 percent that makes it to trial in the United States, according to Statistic Brain. Understanding your rights and privileges under the law can make the difference between losing or winning a case.

To find a legislative intent service to help you, look around legislative news sites or simply do a web search for legislative intent services. Good luck! Helpful links.