In 1884, two Portuguese men who could not speak a word of English wrote a guide to conversational English, English as She is Spoke. The result was so hilariously absurd that Mark Twain said of it, “Its immortality is secure.”

The blog Legal As She Is Spoke, a project of the Program in Law and Journalism at New York Law School, takes its title from that 19th Century classic. Its focus is legal journalism and “the accuracy and felicity of reporting on law.”

Given the choice of title, we must assume that the authors believe that law does not always survive the translation to journalism. Nevertheless, the authors do a good job of covering the field — and in language we can well understand.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.