Ruth Anne Robbins on Legal Document Design

In this episode, Ruth Anne Robbins, Distinguished Clinical Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School, discusses her influential 2004 article "Painting with Print: Incorporating Concepts of Typographic and Layout Design into the Text of Legal Writing Documents" and her 2010 followup article, "Conserving the Canvas: Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Legal Briefs by Re-imagining Court Rules and Document Design Strategies." Robbins observes that the design of a legal document affects its readability, and argues that many courts impose rules that reduce the readability of documents. Among other things, she observes that ALLCAPS headings and monospaced fonts reduce readability. She explains how legal writers can increase the effectiveness of their documents through better design. Judge Easterbrook of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was impressed by Robbins's article, and featured it on the court's website for many years. Robbins is on Twitter at @RA_Robbins.

Keywords: legal writing, visual, fonts, persuasion, lawyering

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