As a lawyer, you know that legal writing can be time-consuming, dense and sometimes just plain boring! Of course, this is also an inevitable part of the dispute. Whether you`re inherently wordy or like short, concise sentences, there are tools you can use to improve your writing and increase your productivity. With DraftLens, you don`t need to start from scratch every time, because you can create dynamic, automated templates with any legal text. It is a lifeline for lawyers who regularly deal with a large amount of documents. Our AI-based analysis of thousands of documents generated five new cutting-edge writing results. These metrics allow you to compare your style to that of renowned writers and judges. Like many writing tools, it has two versions. The free version covers the basics (spelling, punctuation, and grammar), while the paid version goes further and offers suggestions on best writing practices and stylistic changes. Want to know how to improve your legal writing skills? Help is available. Here are some of the most reliable and highly evaluated legal briefing creation software today. Experienced legal writers compile legal arguments and standards on Compose and update them regularly, so you always have the most up-to-date and relevant information at your fingertips when writing. Since we are not judged enough in the legal profession, Word now offers a feature that gives you a rating based on the readability of your document. All you have to do is provide the readability statistics of the program.
This nifty little tool uses the Flesch-Kincaid School Level Test and the Flesch Ease of Reading Test to give you a real score based on the readability of your document. You might consider checking your ego at the door — the Flesch-Kincaid placement test literally judges your writing based on its understanding for an elementary student. For example, a score of 8.0 means that someone in eighth grade would be able to understand what you wrote. In this article, we`ll go beyond basic spell checkers and explore some lesser-known legal writing tools. We have not received sponsorship agreements or financial incentives to promote these suppliers, so you can be sure that you will receive unbiased suggestions. Just in case you`re the kind of person who can absolutely expect to get feedback on your work product, BriefCatch is an editing tool that gives you real-time writing suggestions. It is also the perfect editing tool for those with very sensitive patterns. According to the website, BriefCatch « will retain words, phrases, and habits that secretly bother many readers. » (emphasis added). Finally, we have a program that tells us to our face how boring our writing is. Fortunately, there are several online legal writing tools on the market that can help you create and proofread it. However, as with any software or application, not everything is the same in ease of use or quality. That`s why we bring you the ten best writing programs in our opinion.
Thanks for reading! Have you tried any of the tools mentioned? Did we forget to mention your favorite legal writing helper? Let us know in the comments and feel free to share it on social media! PerfectIt is an industry-specific tool designed for all members of the legal profession. When you use it with the American legal style, it improves the process of drafting, editing, and proofreading legal documents. Typically, the tool works like a spell checker, highlighting issues, recommending changes, and allowing you to accept or reject recommendations. PefectIt not only helps you proofread your document like a pro, but also helps you quickly check the italics, hyphenation, and spelling of legal terms using the American legal stylesheet. Processing legal documents is time-consuming, and rightly so, because a small slip-up can be a disaster for you and your client. Comprehensive educational materials tailored to prerequisite requirements for critical discovery disputes, including discovery enforcement requests, protection orders, and exclusion of expert testimony in multiple jurisdictions. Most people are familiar with Google Docs, and you may already be using it in your law firm to easily share draft briefs and get feedback on them. Plus, it`s 100% free. Another advantage of using Google Docs is that everything you type is recorded in real time, so in the event of a power outage or your computer suddenly crashes, nothing is lost or deleted. All of these programs are great resources, and each of them has unique features that can help you take your professional writing to the next level.
Enjoy some of the free versions and trials, get an idea of what you need and like, and then let the programs you use take the stress out of writing. Let them help you focus on winning. Although not the default display format, Scrivner allows you to use a tree view approach for easy navigation. Reviewing a 60-page court opinion or commenting on a brief can help you stay organized and present information visually. Some people store information more efficiently with visual aids, so this navigation is an invaluable bonus for visual learners. Litigation Companion (formerly known as Best Authority) is a boon when it comes to creating TOAs in documents such as Legal Briefs. With this app, you can complete the whole process in a matter of minutes. If you still rely solely on your word processor when writing, it would be an understatement to say that you miss out on a lot of benefits that come from using additional software. BriefCatch is a Word plug-in designed to provide quick editing suggestions and feedback at every stage of a design. It is extremely useful for scanning documents and detecting inconsistencies and errors. Similar to Grammarly, the real-time writing board is extremely useful.
PerfectIt is another writing and editing tool for all types of industries, including the legal profession. By integrating American Legal Style, a software for legal writers, you can easily create short drafts and immediately identify grammar, spelling, and readability issues. According to PerfectIt`s website, it contains « 13,000 law-specific exams that only trained lawyers and legal writers need to research. » Apart from the usual style suggestions, the supreme feature of this grammar checker is a detailed report, which can help you further improve your writing. You can get reports for categories such as styles, grammar, clichés, and readability. One Look Reverse Dictionary applies to different types of content, but can also be useful as legal writing software. You can describe an idea and then generate a list of related phrases or words so you can choose the best solution for your briefing. This is especially useful if you`re at a loss for words or run out of things to say after creating so many legal briefs. This software is a wonderful tool to help you keep your briefs unique and fresh. These are some of the best tech tools we recommend if you want to improve your legal writing game.
Being in the legal industry requires excellent and adaptable writing skills, not only because of the precision of the words to be used, but also because of the volume of work. Whether you`re a lawyer, paralegal, or law firm employee, you need the right tools to improve the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of your legal writing to succeed in this rapidly changing environment. Ross won the Legal Writing Institute`s 2016 Golden Pen Award for « outstanding contribution to the cause of good legal writing. » He was also honored as one of the 2016 Fastcase 50 for Legal Innovators, and his Twitter feed was named to the ABA`s Best Law Twitter list. If you make some of the proposed changes, your writing will be more concise, polite and persuasive. And you save time. Overall, all the money you invest in tech writing tools is money well spent.