I tell law students that effective lawyers remember what they learned in fifth grade. There, you learn all of the many rules governing the English language and grammar. Recalling and applying these rules in briefs and in arguments improves clarity and enhances effectiveness. I recently became reacquainted with a rule of statutory construction that screams fifth grade — the last antecedent doctrine. “Under the principle of statutory construction known as the last antecedent doctrine, relative or …