It doesn’t matter if you are a lawyer, paralegal or just have an interest in writing better legal documents, these tools will help you reach your goal. Both free and paid legal writing tools can be used to create compelling documents, but there are three things I recommend before choosing your document-writing kit so that you have the best chance for success.
As a legal professional, you know that legal writing can be time-consuming, dense, and just plain boring at times! Of course, it’s also an unavoidable part of litigation. Whether you’re naturally verbose or fond of short, concise sentences – there are tools that you can use to help you improve your writing and increase productivity.
In this article, we’re going to look beyond basic spell check programs and explore some lesser-known tools for legal writing. We have not received any sponsorship deals or financial incentives to promote these providers, so you can feel confident that you’re receiving unbiased suggestions.
American Legal Style
The first tool on our list was designed by lawyers, for lawyers. It is an optional function for the mass-market editing tool: PerfectIt. Used together, they are a powerful tool in the arsenal of any attorney.
American Legal Style scans your writing for legal-specific errors that other programs won’t catch. For example, you can use it to confirm consistent capitalization of defined terms or correct transposed or missing letters in court and reporter names. Ultimately, this simplifies the proofreading process. It’s like having your own legal editor, available on your schedule!
Grammarly
If you’ve seen the ads for Grammarly, you may already know a bit about this service. As the name suggests, Grammarly was originally meant to help correct errors in grammar and spelling. Using powerful artificial intelligence, the program scans your document and offers corrections and suggestions for more professional writing.
Recently, Grammarly has also rolled out tools that allow users to review their work to ensure it has a consistent tone that’s appropriate for the intended audience. Grammarly offers basic services for free, while Premium features can be accessed with an annual payment plan.
Google Docs
While Google Docs isn’t exclusively marketed for legal professionals, it still offers some valuable tools that you might not expect. One of the primary benefits of Google’s free service is the ease of online collaboration. If you’re working on a document draft with another attorney, both of you can access the document and work simultaneously.
When you’re working online, Google automatically saves your progress in real-time, but you can also download your documents for offline work if you’re going to be out of service. Google Docs does have some major formatting limitations, but we’ve found that it’s relatively easy to apply the correct formatting when you’re finished collaborating. (Plus, the power of Google Docs can also be combined with Grammarly, simply by installing their browser extension!)
Scrivner
If you’re not already using Scrivner, you could be working harder than necessary. Many law firms and attorneys love Scrivner because it offers support for complicated documents. From appellate briefs to summary motions, you’ll be able to organize your work and navigate easily between documents.
Although it’s not the default viewing format, Scrivner allows you to use a tree-based approach to simplify navigation. When you’re reviewing a 60-page judicial opinion or annotating a brief – this can help you stay organized and present the information visually. Some people retain information more effectively using visual aids, so this navigation is an invaluable bonus for visual learners.
5: Copyscape
Copyscape is a tool typically found in an editor’s online toolbox. The program is intended for rooting out plagiarism by comparing content to just about everything that has ever been published on the internet. It is a great tool for legal professionals, however, for one simple reason. We’ve all cited to caselaw that itself cites caselaw. The problem is, somewhere along the line, quotation marks and internal citations can get left out. By using Copyscape, you can see how your text was treated originally, and cite accordingly.
#6: PerfectIt/American Legal Style
PerfectIt is a great tool for any writer. When you pair it with the American Legal Style function, however, it becomes downright indispensable for legal professionals. In addition to providing the typical spelling, grammar, and consistency checks of the other programs, this industry-specific app “includes 13,000 legal-specific checks and only lawyers and trained legal editors would know how to look for.”
Best of all, it is designed to assist both litigation and transactional attorneys. If your firm doesn’t already pay for this one, you might consider purchasing it on your own so you can stand out amongst your peers.
#7: Cliché Finder
Have you ever edited a colleague’s work only to find the person has a problem with clichés? Sometimes, it is hard for those people to see or admit that they actually have a problem. Not to worry. Just cut and paste their text into Cliché Finder and let the results speak for themselves. You can thank us later.
#8: Marinara Timer
Marinara Timer is a fantastic tool that essentially forces you to take breaks from writing at intervals that are intended to increase your productivity. You can choose from the traditional Pomodoro method (25 minutes writing, followed by five minutes off) or create a custom timer that works for your brain and deadline schedule.
#9: Google Docs
By now, most of you have probably used Google docs. It is basically an online word processing software that is not only highly functional, but absolutely free. Better yet, it allows groups of people to collaborate on documents from around the globe in real-time. It also saves your edits instantaneously and keeps them in secure files within a cloud. In other words, if the electricity goes out or your computer gives up the ghost, Google Docs has your back.
#10: Hipster Sound
Finally, just in case you find yourself stuck in the office, longing for the days when you could write term papers from your favorite coffee shop, be sure to check out Hipstersound. With this cool, online sound generator, you can instantly and virtually transport yourself to crowded cafes in culture-rich places like Rio de Janeiro, Paris, or even Texas. It also has rain simulators and a host of other relaxing sounds that should help you stay in the mood to write.
Conclusion
Legal writing is not for the faint of heart, especially if you’re a new lawyer. That’s why I’ve created this post to help you find the top writing tools. These are some of the best digital tools available to help you produce high quality legal documents. The products featured in this post are widely recommended by lawyers who have used them so I know they work.