In almost every form of writing, the way information is structured affects the reader’s interpretation. Sometimes the reader understands with ease, but sometimes has to take time to puzzle out the writer’s intentions. This study presents a comparative study of the development of information in the paragraphs of professional and popularized legal texts based on Dane’s (1970, 1974) functional theory of thematic progressions (TP). The results show that the development of paragraphs in the two texts is divergent. Paragraphs in the professional texts are mostly made up of thematic progression with derived themes. On the other hand, the simple thematic progressions (linear) are common in the popularized legal texts. It entails that the outcomes are divergent. These divergences have great implications for the interpretation of the two categories of legal texts. While the derived themes indicate complexity, the linear themes indicate simplicity.