Less than a year ago, we blogged on a CLE presentation by Court of Appeals Judge Rich Dietz on typography in appellate briefs.  At the time, Judge Dietz urged appellate practitioners to abandon the use of Courier and Times New Roman fonts (the two fonts specifically endorsed by the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure) in favor of the Century font family (the font used by North Carolina’s appellate courts when they publish their opinions).

An article entitled “Typography for Appellate Lawyers: Improving Appellate Briefs Through Better Fonts” was recently published in the NCBA’s Appellate Practice Section’s Per Curium newsletter.  The article contains enlightening illustrations on the readability of the three different font families.

Let us know if seeing really is believing—and whether you plan to make (or have already made) the Switch of the Century in your appellate briefs!

–Beth Scherer