Painting With Print: Incorporating concepts of typographic and layout design into the text of legal writing documents

Ruth Anne Robbins, Rutgers School of Law, Camden

Abstract

This article looks at the science behind what makes words readable and legible. It suggests that lawyers should be strategizing the look of the document itself as a persuasive technique. The article also contains suggetsed optimal layouts and looks at court rules around the country to determine whether lawyers can actually accomplish the visual persuasion in a particular jurisdiction (New Jersey lawyers are out of luck beyond the trial level courts).

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has the article linked from its homepage. www.ca7.uscourts.gov