Should You Italicize In Legal Writing?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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In court documents,

use Ordinary Roman, Italics

, and Underlining. In scholarly writing footnotes, use Ordinary Roman type for case names in full citations, including in citation sentences contained in footnotes. This typeface is also used in the main text of a document. … You also can use italics for emphasis.

Do you italicize case name in law review articles?

In law

review main text, case names are italicized

. In footnote text, use ordinary roman/plain text for case names in a full citation or for case names in a short citation when both parties are referenced. However, in the short cite format when only one party is referenced, italicize the case name.

Should ie be italicized in legal writing?

Do not italicize “i.e.” or “e.g.” in the text of a document. You should

only italicize long Latin phrases or obsolete words or phrases

.

Should pro bono be italicised?

italicizing legal terms of art – Many of these terms, such as “pro bono,” “guardian ad litem,” and “pro se”

should not be italicized

; they are generally accepted in everyday use. Here’s a rule of thumb: If the term appears in the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, do not italicize it. (There will be exceptions.

When should italics never be used in legal writing?

§ 5-200.

references to titles or case names in the text without full citation (even those which would, in full citation, not be italicized)

foreign words that have not been assimilated into lawyer jargon

.

quoted words that were italicized in the original

.

Do you italicize the comma after a case name?

In briefs, memos, and other documents filed with a court, all case names and procedural phrases should be italicized or underscored. The “v.” should also be italicized or underscored;

the comma following the case name should not be underscored

.

How do you block quote in legal writing?

  1. Block quotations start on their own line.
  2. The entire block quotation is indented 0.5 inches, the same as the indentation for a new paragraph, and is double spaced.
  3. Block quotations are not surrounded by any quotation marks.
  4. The punctuation at the end of the block quotation goes before the citation.

What does a case citation look like?

A case citation is generally made up of the following parts:

the names of the parties involved in the lawsuit

.

the volume number of the reporter containing the full text of the case

. … the page number on which the case begins the year the case was decided; and sometimes.

What is a legal citation example?

Legal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. … This is an example citation to a United States Supreme Court court case:

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 480 (1965)

.

How do you cite legal writing?

Legal Citation Basics

Most legal citations consist of the name of the document (case, statute, law review article), an abbreviation for the legal series, and the date. The abbreviation for the legal series usually appears as a number followed by the abbreviated name of the series and ends in another number.

Does IE mean for example?

The abbreviation “i.e.” stands for id est, which is Latin for “that is.” The abbreviation “e.g.” stands for the

Latin phrase exempli gratia

, meaning “for example.” … Because id est means “that is,” management is using “i.e., 20 percent” to define the standard discount.

What does CF mean in citations?

The abbreviation cf.

(short for the Latin: confer/conferatur, both meaning ‘compare’)

is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that cf.

What does IE abbreviation mean?

The abbreviation “e.g.” stands for the Latin exempli gratia, which means “for example” or “for the sake of example.” The abbreviation “i.e.” stands for

the Latin phrase id est

, which means “that is to say” or “in other words.” When writing, we often use these terms like examples (e.g.) to emphasize a point or use (i.e. …

What is pro bono?

The term “pro bono,” which is short for pro bono publico, is a Latin term that

means “for the public good

.” Although the term is used in different contexts to mean “the offering of free services,” it has a very specific meaning to those in the legal profession.

How do you cite a short unreported case?

  1. Name of the case (underlined or italicized and abbreviated according to Rule 10.2)
  2. Docket number.
  3. Database identifier.
  4. Name of the court (abbreviated according to Rule 10.4)
  5. Date the case was decided, including month (Table 12), day, and year.

Can you ID a statute?

As with cases, there are two short form options for statutes: Id.:

Used only if the statute you are citing is found immediately before the current citation

. Do not use “at” if citing a difference section of the statute. Instead, use “Id.” then the new section or subsection number.

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Maria LaPaige
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