Legal Editing

Proofreading your own documents has proven to not be as effective as having another experienced legal document reviewer read them over. This is because your mind automatically corrects mistakes, adds in missing words, and in general sees your writing as what you want it to say, not necessarily what it actually says. Further, although you may understand the meaning behind all of your sentences and arguments, your arguments may confuse another reader who is not as familiar with the case. By having someone else proofread and edit your documents, they will catch many more mistakes than had you completed proofreading on your own. They will see misspellings you may not have noticed, catch missing words, and be able to restructure your arguments that do not clearly convey your thoughts. Many people today rely on automated spellcheck and even grammar check software systems, but it is important to remember that these tools do have their limits. Spellcheck may flag many legal terms, while grammar check is often unhelpful for all but the most basic grammar issues. Neither of these tools looks at content or context – which is important when crafting legal documents. A sentence can be grammatically valid yet still contain confusing content or poor word choices that make it difficult to read.