坊間常說，法律是保護懂法律的人。這句話聽起來諷刺，卻也是姑不而將的現實。

大多數的人不懂法律，但是從小就被教導要遵守法律，許多人因為無法理解法律，所以對法律產生許多誤會，最後讓我們失去了了解彼此的機會。

法律白話文運動是由期待台灣擁有法律專業媒體的法律人所組成的。我們在不同的職位上各司其職，來自不同地方、擁有不同專長，但都抱有個心願——透過白話文的方式傳播法律知識，改變台灣的法律文化。

法律白話文運動的使命，就是希望能肩負起法律人與社會大眾溝通的承擔，不只告訴大家如何思考法律議題，更希望能讓社會大眾感受到自己的聲音與主張被聽見，也被法律尊重。

我們相信，當每個人都感受到自己的信念被法律認真對待後，就會願意花時間傾聽、理解、思考，甚至行動。然後就會有更多人願意用法律思考問題，形成屬於台灣的民主法治文化。

There is a saying in Taiwan that “law protects only those who understand it”, which is however, somewhat ironically, a reality.

Most people are taught to obey law, whether they know what law means to them or not. They often misunderstand, or even refuse to understand, legal texts, and therefore, their lives are subject to uncertainty and difficulty notwithstanding the rights guarantees provided by law.

The Plain Law Movementwas thus founded on this contextual basis, organised by a group of legal professionals of diverse fields and experiences, who hope to create a new media public and engage Taiwanese people in learning, interpreting, discussing, and monitoring law and legal development.

We, singly and collectively, try to communicate our ideas regarding the rule of law via different channels, and we all believe that it is possible to transform the formalistic and outdated legal culture, through a social movement from below, into simple linguistic practices.

To make law “plain” – and societally comprehensive – does not reduce any of its sophistication and significance but promotes its legitimacy, acceptance, and respectability in terms of public attention and democratic deliberation.

Hence, the Plain Law Movement– as a forum dedicated to bridging the gap between lawyers, policy-makers and the public – aims not to “teach” people how to think legally but to help make their voices louder and their lives easier with legal knowledge.

We also believe, only when one can feel taken seriously and considered as a worthwhile member of the society, she/he would be capable of seeing and recognising other members’ struggles and accordingly take actions.

After all, to subvert the saying as mentioned earlier, we encourage people not only to understand law but also to eventually create a legal culture that accounts for every member’s needs and attends to social injustice phenomena.