How to Format a Legal Document

legal document

marketing planLegal documents can be intimidating to make and write. Learn how they should be formatted and other qualities to keep in mind as you create yours.

A legal document is a promise between two or more parties. Whether for business deals or employee contracts, a lease, or a settlement agreement, you can find them everywhere. The paper must be written appropriately and must comply with state and federal legal standards to be effective and enforceable. But, what is the best way to manage legal processes to save time and ensure everything you draft or red line is accurate and up-to-date? When it comes to redlining, redline software is the best solution.

Legal document formatting may seem difficult at first, but the process can be simplified with an online legal document. Using templates ensures your document contains the correct wording, essential paragraphs, and clauses and is well organized.

Use the Correct Grammar and Formatting

The world of grammar and style extends beyond the world of business documents. Legal documents, however, quote the law and must use the proper grammar, spelling, and formatting. If you intend to use your legal document for court, you should be careful with your punctuation and grammar to avoid confusion. Legal writing and formatting styles are as follows;

Paper Size Matters

As an essential component of a document, paper size varies from state to state and country to country. North American countries, however, use the American National Standards Institute format (ANSI). The countries use a large paper sheet that measures 8.5*14 inches instead of the standard 8.5*11-inch size.

Font Type and Size

The font plays a vital role in legibility and readability. If you use a distracting font style, your text may challenge to read. It is essential to ensure that legal writing is clear and professional.
Some states have an “official” font style for legal documents; however, here are some court-approved font styles that are easy to read:

  • Arial
  • Adobe Caslon Pro
  • Adobe Sabon
  • Century and other related fonts
  • Verdana

Legal documents have no “standard” font size similar to font styles. The documents must be legible. Legal documents are typically written in 12-point font, the standard recommendation from courts and lawyers. This large enough for anyone to read yet compact enough to fit plenty of information on a single page. A large font is uncomfortable to read and uses up a lot of space.

Margins and Spacing

Despite coming in second place behind fonts, margins and spacing are still key components of legibility. Poor space not only makes the text illegible, but it makes it harder for the reader to process the information. Sometimes, this may make it more difficult for legal teams to interpret your writings, especially employment lawyers.

Fortunately, word processor programs have pre-built margin and spacing templates you can use to get the settings you need.

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Editorial Staff

This article was written by SBMarketingTools.com editorial staff.