The Legal Jargon Translator: A Plain-English Content Series for Law Firms

10 October 2026·3 min read

Quick answer: A 'jargon translator' content series takes the terms clients actually hear in their matters — "without prejudice," "discovery," "caveat," "consent orders" — and explains each one in two or three plain sentences. It's quick to produce, it picks up long-tail searches from people trying to understand their own paperwork, and it positions your firm as the one that explains things rather than hides behind them. 💡

Please note: this is general information to help clients understand common terms, not legal advice about their specific matter — a disclaimer to this effect should sit on every page in the series.

Every lawyer has had the moment of realising a client nodded along through an entire meeting without understanding half the terms used. 💖 Most firms shrug that off as unavoidable. A few turn it into one of the easiest content formats available — short, searchable, and genuinely useful.

What most firms get wrong

When law firms do publish glossaries, they're usually one long, static page with fifty definitions dumped together — technically complete, but nobody finds it and nobody reads past the first ten terms. The better approach treats each term as its own small, searchable piece of content, because that's how people actually search: "what does without prejudice mean," not "legal glossary."

The jargon translator format (one term, repeatable):
Headline: What Does "[Term]" Actually Mean?
Plain-English definition: 1–2 sentences, no legal citations.
Why it matters to you: 1–2 sentences on what it means practically for someone in that situation.
One example sentence: show the term used the way a lawyer or document actually uses it.
Soft CTA: "If this term's come up in your own matter, our [practice area] team can talk you through what it means for you specifically."

A family law firm: Publishes short explainers for "consent orders," "parenting plan" and "binding financial agreement" — terms clients hear constantly but rarely have explained outside a rushed meeting.

A conveyancing practice: Explains "caveat," "cooling-off period" and "disbursements" — each one answering a search a worried buyer or seller is genuinely typing into Google at 11pm.

A commercial law firm: Covers "indemnity," "force majeure" and "non-compete clause" for small business owners reading a contract someone else drafted, well before they're ready to call a lawyer.

How to build the series without it becoming a burden

Pull your term list straight from real client questions — ask every fee earner for the three things clients ask them to explain most often. Batch-write five or six at a time rather than trying to maintain a constant drip, and link each one back to the relevant practice area page so the series feeds enquiries rather than just sitting as isolated content.

💡 Keep every entry genuinely general. The moment a definition starts answering "so does that mean I'll win," you've crossed from education into advice — redirect to a consultation instead.

Mistakes to avoid

Don't cram fifty terms onto one page — split them into their own short pages so each can rank for its own search.
Don't use the actual statute or case citation as the headline; use the question a real person would type.
Don't skip the disclaimer — plain-English explanations can still be mistaken for advice if you're not careful with wording.
Don't let the series go stale — review it annually, since terminology and relevant law can shift.

Frequently asked questions

Won't this just give away information clients would otherwise pay to learn?

Not really — knowing what a term means isn't the same as knowing what it means for your specific situation, which is exactly the gap the soft CTA is there to point at.

How long should each entry be?

Short — 150 to 300 words is plenty. The value is clarity, not length, and overly long entries defeat the point of a quick, plain-English answer.

Do we need a lawyer to write every entry?

A lawyer should review every entry before publishing for accuracy, but a marketing team or copywriter can draft the first pass from a quick explanation given by the fee earner, which saves everyone time.

Keep reading 🤍

Written by

Kate, founder of Chronically Online

I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.

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