Hey, I’m working on a motion to set aside a default judgment, but I’m unsure how to refer to myself. Should I use my name like Mr. or Ms. Last Name or say ‘I witnessed’? Any help is appreciated!
Oh, you gotta refer to yourself in the third person, not first. So you’d use ‘Defendant’ or ‘Mr./Mrs. Last Name.’ It’s a formal thing for legal documents.
Sorrell said:
Oh, you gotta refer to yourself in the third person, not first. So you’d use ‘Defendant’ or ‘Mr./Mrs. Last Name.’ It’s a formal thing for legal documents.
Yeah, totally. I was confused about this too when I was writing my motion. It feels weird, but it’s the right way to do it.
Sorrell said:
Oh, you gotta refer to yourself in the third person, not first. So you’d use ‘Defendant’ or ‘Mr./Mrs. Last Name.’ It’s a formal thing for legal documents.
Wait, so I shouldn’t say ‘I was there’ or anything? Just ‘Defendant was there’?
@Cameron
Yep, exactly. Always in third person for these. So no ‘I’ or ‘me.’ It’ll make it sound more formal and professional.
I had to do something similar before, and ‘Defendant’ works for all your references. Never use first person in legal papers!
Zeek said:
I had to do something similar before, and ‘Defendant’ works for all your references. Never use first person in legal papers!
Exactly. Legal stuff always sticks to third person. So no ‘I’ or ‘we’ in motions or anything.
In legal docs, it’s pretty standard to use third person. So yeah, just say ‘Defendant’ or ‘Mr./Mrs. Last Name.’ That’s how it works.
I just did this and it felt weird, but DEF’s right. Third person is the way to go for motions.
Anyone know if this applies to all legal papers or just motions to set aside default judgments?
Nori said:
Anyone know if this applies to all legal papers or just motions to set aside default judgments?
It’s pretty standard for all legal pleadings, not just for motions to set aside. Third person all the way.