Highlighting new books at the Law Library, part 10

As many students have memos or research papers due in the coming weeks, this installment of the new book series focuses on a text meant to help you elevate the appearance of your writing.

Typography for Lawyers
By Matthew Butterick
Law Treatises Z246 .B98 2010

Typog­ra­phy is the visual com­po­nent of the writ­ten word. In Typography for Lawyers, Matthew Butterick explains that typog­ra­phy is important because it helps con­serve the most valu­able resource you have as a writer — reader atten­tion. An ugly document does not entice a reader to continue through it. Butterick clearly lays out in ensuing chapters how you can make your legal writing stronger by utilizing typography, with the tools you already have. He addresses type composition, text formatting, line length, point size, font choice, headings, and page layout. He also provides a number of sample documents for examples of good and bad typography.

Butterick’s book will help you make your writing stand out from that of your classmates. After following Butterick’s guidelines, your memo or research paper will be more professional looking and aesthetically pleasing. Be sure to also check out www.typographyforlawyers.com, the companion website to this book.