Proofread Legal Writing in Passes, Not With One Final Read

# Proofread Legal Writing in Passes, Not With One Final Read

A final read-through is a weak editing system because your brain already knows what you meant to write. Targeted proofreading works better: read the document several times, but give each pass a narrow job.

Pass one: structure and analysis

Ignore commas. Check whether the rule is complete, whether each paragraph advances the analysis, whether the facts are compared to authority, and whether a conclusion follows from the reasoning.

Pass two: authority and citations

Verify quotations, pincites, case names, signals, record references, and whether the source actually supports the proposition. This is also the time to confirm that no authority has been mischaracterized.

Pass three: sentence clarity

ABA guidance in 2026 emphasizes plain-language editing. Look for long openings, buried verbs, unnecessary nominalizations, vague pronouns, and sentences that need to be read twice.

Pass four: mechanical accuracy

Only after the substantive work is stable should you focus on punctuation, spacing, headings, defined terms, formatting, and typographical errors. Reading aloud or changing the display size can make mistakes easier to notice.

Editing in passes slows you down for a few minutes and speeds up the reader for the entire document. That is a good trade in legal writing.