Article July 14, 2014 ISSUE

Goodbye 'can't-write-this' thinking

Michael Slater

Several years ago, in the very early stages of serving as a legislative attorney for the Vermont General Assembly, a legislator asked me to draft legislation that would regulate the deer herd. It involved a complex scenario that I understood conceptually but was having difficulty reducing to writing. I knew that if it became law, the language would eventually be the focus of litigation, and so it was essential that the legislative intent be very clear and unambiguous.

While I was struggling for a solution, the following question came to me: “Are you really a Christian Scientist?” I silently responded that I definitely was. Then followed a declaration that certainly grabbed my attention: “Then act like it!” What exactly did that mean?