Hanging indentations
I like hanging indentations. I think they make the document look neat and professional. I think they make the document easier to read and skim. What do you think?
They're most useful in transactional documents, but other types of legal writing can benefit from them, too. Here is a before and after (the numbering system didn't come out right. Sorry.):
Before
1. Phasellus scelerisque velit eu sem. Integer nec risus. Maecenas accumsan, orci ut molestie ornare, justo justo imperdiet enim.
1. Mauris ut neque. Suspendisse leo. Aenean tempor tempor lacus. Suspendisse cursus massa sed est.
1. Suspendisse potenti aenean at ligula eget ipsum ornare sodales. Nunc interdum.
Come on, now. Doesn't that just look odd?
After
They're most useful in transactional documents, but other types of legal writing can benefit from them, too. Here is a before and after (the numbering system didn't come out right. Sorry.):
Before
1. Phasellus scelerisque velit eu sem. Integer nec risus. Maecenas accumsan, orci ut molestie ornare, justo justo imperdiet enim.
1. Mauris ut neque. Suspendisse leo. Aenean tempor tempor lacus. Suspendisse cursus massa sed est.
1. Suspendisse potenti aenean at ligula eget ipsum ornare sodales. Nunc interdum.
Come on, now. Doesn't that just look odd?
After
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec vulputate. Donec ut turpis. Aenean vel tellus nec velit porttitor tincidunt.
- Phasellus scelerisque velit eu sem. Integer nec risus. Maecenas accumsan, orci ut molestie ornare, justo justo imperdiet enim.
- Mauris ut neque. Suspendisse leo. Aenean tempor tempor lacus. Suspendisse cursus massa sed est.
- Suspendisse potenti aenean at ligula eget ipsum ornare sodales. Nunc interdum.
I've seen UK contracts that take hanging indentation even further: Both paragraph numbers and paragraph headings are in a left-hand column, with the clause text in the right-hand column. When I was in-house, I used Word's table feature to format our standard software license agreement in that way. Our customers' lawyers seemed to like the layout.
Wayne says:
Agreed. I have used that format and have seen it used, though rarely. It is highly readable and very skimmable. Can you please persuade more U.S. lawyers to use it?
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The two samples differ in several different ways; I don't think lack of hanging indents is what uglifies the first. You could keep the indents constant through the hierarchy without eliminating them. Except for tabular data, to me, that looks better than hanging indents.
Wayne asks:
What are the other ways the samples differ? And what does it mean to "keep the indents constant through the hierarchy without eliminating them"?
-Wayne
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The other way the samples differ is that the space between numerals and text is twice as great (excessive) in the first sample.
Say you're using a .25 inch indent for each level. Example 2 applies increases the first line indent by that much, creating an impression increasingly ridiculous for each level. The way I'm suggesting, if you indent the first line, you indent the second and subsequent ones by the same amount, so the first line indent stays the same relative to the second and succeeding ones. For the third line, then, the first line is indented .75 inch, the subsequent lines .5.
Wayne says:
I see. I have tried to correct that inadvertant glitch on the updated post. Yes, smaller tab lengths are better, I agree. Still, it's the lonely text on the left margin that looks odd to me. Shortening the tab lengths won't solve that problem. Hanging indentations for me.
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My boss does not use hanging indentations in wills and contracts that he drafts, and it drives me crazy. I think part of the reason is that he does not know how to adjust the margin settings in Word. Somebody should offer a CLE on Word and Word Perfect functions that enhance the organization and aesthetic quality of any document, whether it be a memo, brief, will, contract, etc. Unfortunately, I don't think a word-processing CLE would get much traction.
Wayne says:
Yes yes yes. I am often surprised at what otherwise accomplished writers don't know about Word.
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Agreed. Even without the numbering system working right it's definitely easier to read with the hanging indentations.
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Hanging indents rock for argumentative headings.
Hanging indents stink when the document has the same spacing between lines and successive headings, as in a numbered or bulleted list. Single-spaced text with a single return between items in the list, or double-spaced text with two line returns separating the items in the list make it nearly impossible to tell where one item stops and the next begins, notwithstanding the bullet or number.
Hanging indents rock with bulleted lists IF the list has single spaced items separated by a double line return.
Wayne says:
I'd love to see a graphic example so I can be sure what you're describing.
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I totally agree with you. Why do legal documents do this? Maybe it saves space on documents printed with very narrow columns,common in many code reference and legal publications. I practice patent law an this format is standard for claims, but not required.
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It's a lot easier on the eyes, that's for sure, especially when you have to read a lot of documents.
MS Word makes this easy to do for me.All you have to do to initiate a hanging indent by pressing CTRL+T on your keyboard. This "hangs" a paragraph to the next tab stop.
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