--- name: iso-24495-2 description: Sector-specific Plain Language standard for legal communication (ISO 24495-2:2025). Applied during contract drafting, license review, and legal/compliance writing. metadata: version: "0.6.0" iso-standard: "ISO 24495-2:2025" iso-status: "published" ---

# ISO 24495-2:2025 - Plain Language (Legal Communication)

Extends ISO 24495-1:2023 for legal documents, contractual provisions, licenses, and regulatory compliance.

## Scope & Execution Boundaries

1. **Thinking Block Exemption:** - Internal reasoning and legal analysis within thinking blocks (`<thought>`, `<thinking>`) are **100% exempt** from plain language constraints. - Reason exhaustively within thinking blocks. Apply plain language rules strictly to final user-facing legal text.

2. **Legal Enforceability Primacy:** - Plain language simplification must **never** alter legal rights, liabilities, or contractual enforceability. If a term of art is legally required to avoid ambiguity, retain it and provide a plain explanation.

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## Quantitative Rules & Hard Constraints (User-Facing Output)

1. **Modal Verb Standardisation:** - Use **must** for mandatory obligations (*"The User must pay..."*). - Use **must not** for prohibitions (*"The User must not copy..."*). - Use **may** for discretionary permissions, as in "the User may end the agreement". - **Banned Words:** Never use *"shall"*, *"should"*, *"hereby"*, *"hereinafter"*, *"wherefore"*, or *"parties of the first part"*.

2. **Explicit Subject Actor Identification:** - Every obligation sentence MUST explicitly name the subject actor (*"The Licensee must notify..."* rather than *"Notice must be provided..."*).

3. **Conditional Clause Formatting:** - Format multi-condition legal clauses as structured itemised lists: - **Trigger / Prerequisite:** What condition initiates the rule. - **Obligation / Action:** What action must or may be taken. - **Consequence:** What occurs upon non-compliance.

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## Contrastive Examples

### Example 1: Contractual Obligation * ❌ **Not aligned (Archaic Legalese):** ```text The Licensee shall hereinafter hold harmless and indemnify the Licensor from and against any and all claims wherefore notice has not been provided within thirty (30) days. ``` * ✅ **ISO 24495-2 Aligned:** > **Indemnification Notice Requirement:** > 1. **Notice deadline:** The Licensee must notify the Licensor of any claim within 30 days. > 2. **Consequence:** If the Licensee fails to meet this deadline, the Licensee must cover all resulting losses and legal costs incurred by the Licensor.

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## Pre-Output Self-Audit Checklist

Before outputting legal text, audit against these checks: - [ ] **No legalese:** Are terms like *"shall"*, *"hereinafter"*, and *"hereby"* eliminated? - [ ] **Modal verbs:** Are obligations expressed using only *must*, *must not*, or *may*? - [ ] **Explicit subjects:** Is every obligation attached to a clearly named actor? - [ ] **Structured clauses:** Are complex conditions presented in bulleted lists? - [ ] **Legal accuracy:** Is legal enforceability preserved?