The Typography for Lawyers website made a splash when it launched, with its opinionated and informed take on legal document design. Written by a former professional font designer who is currently a civil litigator, the blog recently evolved into a book. Now both the blog and book offer advice, anecdotes, and examples.

The Law Library recently purchased the book in response to a law student’s suggestion.* Now you can come check out the author’s design aesthetic in print, and see for yourself the differences between print-optimized and screen optimized fonts.

Matthew Butterick, Typography for Lawyers: Essential Tools for Polished & Persuasive Documents. (Jones McClure Publishing) 216 pages, paperback.
Reading Room – KF250 .B88 2010.
Check ANTPAC to see if it’s on the shelf.

* The Law Library welcomes your feedback. Let us know if you have a suggestion!

New title: Ross Guberman, Point Made: How to Write like the Nation’s Top Advocates, (Oxford Univ. Press, 2011). 311 pages, paperback.

Reading Room - KF251 .G83 2011.

Check ANTPAC to see if it’s on the shelf.

Update 09/06/2011: The paperback version of this book was briefly reviewed by Professor Mark Wojcik on the Legal Writing Prof Blog:

It’s fascinating to see the examples [Guberman] has chosen and to see how patent lawyers, ACLU lawyers, Kenneth Starr and others use the same writing techniques to produce powerful advocacy.  It’s a nicely done book that took quite a bit of work to assemble.