Appellate Insights

Legal briefs make for dense reading.  Images, charts, and other visual displays can help alleviate that density, conveying key information succinctly and effectively.  Some things to consider:

• Images or charts can be inserted directly into the body of a brief, in place of – or to supplement – a written description.  But use them sparingly for best effect.

• Impactful insertions might include a clear screenshot of a key contract provision; a diagram or a map; or a table summarizing data.

• If an image contains text, Word generally will not include that text in the automatic word count.  Count the words in the image manually, and add that number in the certificate of word count.

►  The practical message:  Lawyers are used to communicating in sentences and paragraphs – but consider whether a graphic approach would convey a specific point more powerfully.