Computers crash, fatigue prevents close proofreading, and the result can be a brief that is an embarrassment, rather than a credit, to the lawyer and firm who produced it. I ncreasingly, lawyers have PCs on their desks, and rather than hand their secretaries a cassette tape or a yellow pad with handwritten pages of argument, they proffer a computer diskette of their work. Admittedly, some lawyers have the luxury of working for firms with experienced litigation secretaries who already know how to conform the brief's draft to fit the conventions and requirements of the court. It is also true, however, that many lawyers find themselves training inexperienced staff to produce briefs that won't run afoul of the court's rules or the settled expectations of the judge-reader. These tips will help you put together a professional and polished-looking brief.
First impressions do count.
A sloppy brief detracts from your credibility. If you do not know how to use your computer's wordprocessing software to achieve any of the formatting procedures described below, please see me for assistance. I can show you what to do for WordPerfect and Word97. Follow the court's rules for covers and binding. Use cardstock or heavier weight paper for your covers.