To design a visually superior brief, you must comply with court rules and orders about formatting and typography. That’s a valuable advantage, which you should seize.” 2 If two briefs contain the same content but one is easier to read, that one will be more persuasive. It won’t make your arguments better, but it will ensure that judges grasp and retain your points with less struggle. The Seventh Circuit agrees: “You can improve your chances by making your briefs typographically superior. Those who do will gain an upper hand over their opponent. To that end, brief writers should aim to make their visual presentation as pleasing as possible.

“n effectively designed document,” says law professor James Dimitri, “make the arguments in the document more memorable to the reader” and “make a strong statement to the reader about the authoring attorney’s credibility.” 1 But all also are pleasantly drawn into text that uses good typography, which aids reader comprehension. Lay readers, lawyers, and judges all notice when something is difficult to read, and all get distracted from the text by poor visual presentation. After all, you want to sound smart leading the book club discussion.īriefs are the legal profession’s novels – and judges are its bibliophiles. And comprehension is something you value. After comparing the editions, you noticed how the hardbound edition’s typography – the visual presentation of the words on the page – was easier to comprehend. You read the first chapter in the checkout line.ĭespite the identical content of the two editions, you picked one over the other because it was easier to read. The font is easier to read and the visual design draws you in. So you drop it back in the bin, opting to spend the extra money on the hardbound copy. You have to squint to read the small font, and the words seem to bleed together. As you walk to the checkout, you spy a paperback in the discount bin. You find a hardbound edition of the novel and thumb through it. Let’s say you go to the bookstore to buy your next book club selection.

Books using use of book antiqua font