Moreover.
I frequently see this word in briefs and opinions. The intent of the word, as far as I can tell, is to introduce an additional thought or argument. But should you use it? In 2003, I published an article about the academic corruption in college athletics in the Wisconsin Law Review with Jon Ericson, one of my college professors. Our original introduction was snappy and tight. We had put a lot of work into it. Then we sent it off to be edited by the law review, and it came back with the word Moreover instead of And as one of the sentence-openers. We decided not to put up a fight, and instead focus on other more pressing editing issues.
I won’t forgive myself to this day. Moreover should have been And.
In my view, moreover should be rarely used – if at all – in legal writing. It’s ponderous. It has three syllables. And there are so many better words you can use.
Longman’s Guide to English Usage says that moreover is a “word appropriate to formal writing” (which we are trying to stamp-out); elsewhere, you should use and or also or besides. I would add in addition to that list. All of these words have fewer syllables than moreover, and cut a much sharper edge.Like starting a sentence with However instead of But, moreover brings your prose to a screeching halt.
Avoid it.