In Bleak House, Charles Dickens criticises the British legal system, especially the Court of Chancery, by describing London covered in thick, murky fog. This fog represented the confusion and lack of clarity that often surrounded legal proceedings, thus implying that people can get trapped in a complicated web of legal language and processes that make it hard to find justice. This critique remains relevant today, as legal English, the specialised language of law, continues to be known for its dense and formulaic style. Unlike many other specialised fields of discourse which have experienced rapid linguistic change in response to societal, technological and cultural shifts, legal English has been characterised by a markedly slow and conservative evolution. This resistance to change is largely due to its fundamental reliance on precision, consistency and the preservation of tradition. Legal language demands a certain degree of accuracy that leaves little room for ambiguity, as even the slightest misinterpretation can have profound legal consequences, thus potentially altering the outcomes of cases, the interpretation of statutes or the execution of contracts, among others. As such, the legal profession has historically prioritised stability and continuity in its linguistic practices, often at the expense of intelligibility and accessibility.