What size font should I use for legal writing?
Asked by: Miss Leora Dicki I | Last update: August 5, 2025Score: 4.3/5 (10 votes)
Courts only require that the font is
What font do most lawyers use?
- Century Schoolbook.
- Georgia.
- Baskerville.
- Bookman Old Style.
- Times New Roman alternatives like Equity, Tiempos, and Verdigris.
What font does the solicitor general use?
Both the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General use Century. Professional typographers set books in New Baskerville, Book Antiqua, Calisto, Century, Century Schoolbook, Bookman Old Style and many other proportionally spaced serif faces. Any face with the word “book” in its name is likely to be good for legal work.
What size should you use for a legal document?
It is a standardized paper size (English measurement system) in the United States and in other countries which still rely on English-based paper sizes. The legal size paper dimensions are 8.5-inches by 14-inches.
What is the classic legal font?
Best Sans Serif Fonts for Legal Documents
Helvetica is a classic option, or you can use several similar fonts, including Atlas, Concourse, or Neue Haas Grotesk. Similar to Times New Roman, it's not recommended to use Calibri for your sans serif selection.
Episode 4 Fonts in Legal Writing
Is there a legal font size?
Most courts and lawyers recommend using a 12-point font for legal documents. That's large enough for anyone to be able to read and still small enough that you can fit plenty of information on a single page. Using an overly large font is obnoxious to read and takes up too many pages.
What is the spacing for legal documents?
Legal documents typically use 1.5 or double line spacing to help add white space and improve readability. Using wider spacing also makes it easier to mark up draft copies, since you'll have room to write directly on the page. To set your line spacing in Word, go to Layout, then select Paragraph.
What format do lawyers write in?
Whether they call it IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion), CRAC (Conclusion, Rule, Application, Conclusion), or CREAC (Conclusion, Rule, Explanation, Application, Conclusion), all lawyers write in the same way: by laying out the issue to be discussed, the legal rule relevant to the issue, the analysis of the ...
Is legal paper size A4 or A5?
A4 Size. Legal size paper is 8.5 x 14.0 inches (216 x 356 mm), whereas A4 size paper is 8.3 x 11.7 inches (210 x 297 mm). Legal and A4 size paper have little in common with each other, as legal paper is still taller than A4, which is much more closely related to letter size paper.
What is the best font size for Word documents?
Font size. It is best practice to type word documents in font size 14, and no smaller than font size 12, to assist readers with visual impairments. Remember that no one font size will suit everyone. However, it should be easy to provide the document in an alternative font size upon request.
What is the preferred legal font?
Best font for professional documents
The font can either make or break your professional documents and writing. The best font for professional documents is Arial. It is a classic sans-serif font that is universally readable. Other acceptable fonts are Cambria, Garamond, Didot, Georgia, Helvetica, and Book Antiqua.
What font is Rules of court?
The font style must be essentially equivalent to Courier, Times New Roman, or Arial. Rule 2.105 amended effective January 1, 2017; adopted effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2016.
What is the NHS preferred font?
Frutiger has been the NHS font since 1999, and has become recognised as the clean, simple, typeface which people associate with the NHS. The secondary font, Arial, should be used when Frutiger is not available. Please view the font guidelines for more details.
What font looks most professional?
- Garamond. Source: Big Data Girl Book Store. ...
- Calibri. Source: Affinity. ...
- Lato. Source: Adobe fonts. ...
- Futura. Source: Adobe fonts. ...
- DIN. Source: Adobe fonts. ...
- Baskerville. Source: Adobe fonts. ...
- Playfair Display. Source: Adobe fonts. ...
- Didot. Source: Adobe fonts.
What is the font size for a formal letter?
Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the font. The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. When choosing a font, always consider your audience. If you are writing to a conservative company, you may want to use Times New Roman.
What is the best font for a legal resume?
Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Garamond. Select a font size of 11 point or 12 point. Create margins no smaller than . 5 inches on all sides.
What is legal letter size?
Both are capable of giving you an unpleasant paper cut. The simplest way to explain the difference between legal and letter-sized paper is that legal paper is sized at 8.5 x14 inches and letter paper is sized at 8.5 x 11.
Which is better A4 or A5 paper?
Whether you're printing reports, educational resources, or marketing materials, A4 offers the space needed for clear and effective communication. On the other hand, A5 paper is smaller, measuring 148 x 210 mm, and is perfect for more compact and personal projects.
How do I add legal size in Word?
Resize your documents to legal paper size
Instead of using letter size set your Word document to legal paper size. Legal paper is preferred by lawyers because it allows lengthy details like you see in contracts. To set this up, go to Layout >Size> Legal.
What is the font size for legal documents?
Legal documents should be written using a font size of 12 points. This size is the standard size for most legal documents. It is easy to read and large enough to read without taking up too much space on the page.
What writing style is used in law?
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, print. The style most commonly used by lawyers and legal scholars.
What is the spacing for legal writing?
The body of most legal documents should be double-spaced. And set the spacing “before” and “after” to “0 pt.” Click “OK” when done. This will ensure that you don't have extra space between your paragraphs.
What is the minimum font size for legal documents UK?
For terms and conditions to be admissible in court, they must be reasonably legible. Court precedent suggests that the minimum font size to be considered reasonably legible is 12 point.
Should legal documents be printed single sided?
(a) Single side may be used
If a form not filed electronically is longer than one page, the form may be printed on sheets printed only on one side even if the original has two sides to a sheet.
Are legal memos single or double spaced?
Still, double-spacing is a tradition in legal writing. If your supervisor allows you to use a modern approach, try a single-spaced document with larger type and larger margins: 13-point type with 1.3-inch margins.