Document Design Recommendations

When I draft and edit a brief, I don’t only focus on the content; I also review the layout and design of the document. Part of persuasion is presenting a readable and professional product. Therefore, when the rules permit, I incorporate the following document design recommendations:

red pen

  1. Upper and lowercase font for headings, not all caps.
  2. Ragged right margins.
  3. Footnotes for citations.
  4. Serif font.
  5. Serial commas.
  6. Curly quotes.
  7. One space after the period at the end of a sentence.

I began to incorporate these formatting changes, among others, after attending a Bryan Garner CLE years ago. I’ve been reading and studying legal writing ever since. These recommendations are compiled from various articles, books, and blogs, including the following:

Typography for Lawyers, Matthew Butterick

The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts, Bryan Garner

Document Design: Pretty in Print—Parts I and II, Gerald Lebovits

Painting with print: Incorporating concepts of typographic and layout design into the text of legal writing documents, Ruth Anne Robbins