11.6.1 TYPE FACE
Even your choice of typeface can make a difference in the readability of your brief. Readers can more easily read typefaces that have “serif,” that is, small lines as part of the beginning or ending strokes of each letter.
The serifs (also known as “wings” or “feet”) help the reader’s eye to connect the letters and thus move through the text more quickly and easily. Typefaces that do not have serif are called “sans serif” (“without serif”) and are a little more difficult to read. Here are some serif and sans serif typefaces:1. Times New Roman is a serif typeface. 2. Garamond is a serif typeface. 3. Bookman Old Style is a serif typeface. 4. Georgia is a serif typeface. 5. Courier New is a serif typeface. 6. Arial is a sans serif typeface. 7. Raavi is a sans serif typeface.
Although some people get emotionally attached to their favorite typefaces, you should base your decision on the reader’s needs rather than your own preferences. Some courts mandate particular typefaces, while others mandate only categories of typeface. For example, a court might mandate a serif typeface or a proportionally spaced typeface. With proportionally spaced typefaces, the amount of space a letter takes up varies from letter to letter — an i takes less space than a k, for example. With monospaced fonts such as Courier New, in contrast, each letter takes up the same amount of space.
Courier New is monospaced: Bills make me ill. Georgia is proportionally spaced: Bills make me ill. Because proportionally spaced fonts are easier to read, you should use a proportionally spaced font unless court rules dictate otherwise.