Murder your darlings

General Principles

• Avoid definitions. Mostly, people can figure out what you mean without doubt from the context. Only use definitions when you are using a word in a specific way that does not align with its ordinary meaning.
  • Example: don't define "tax" if all you mean is "any tax, duty, excise, deduction, witholding impost or levy imposed by a competent authority haviung power to tax..." or by reference to a familiar term that will, you know, show up on the Google as a synonym for "tax". If
• Use the active tense. Avoid the passive whenever you can.

Specific examples

• For the avoidance of doubt: This is an explicit acknowledgment that what you have just written contains doubt. You are a solicitor. You are an officer of the Queen's English. Physician, heal thyself.
• "(including, without limitation ...)"
• "unless otherwise agreed by the parties": This is true of every english law contract there ever was. The clue is the definition of "contract". It's an agreement between the parties.
• "and/or"
• "We reserve the right to ..." - Wait a minute: Did you just give that right away? If so, you can't reserve it. If you didn't, you've still got it, so - you know - shut up already.
• ", whether ... or otherwise," - kill it. Go on, just kill it. You'll feel so much better.
• "we may, but shall not be obligated to, ... " - collapses quite happily down to "we may ..."
• "Please be advised/please be aware, please note" - If your counterparty is reading the document, she is being advised, becoming aware, and taking note. If she's not, it won't make a damn of difference.

"The parties agree that..." - you don't say. It being an agreement and everything. Try something novel - don't say it.