Legal documents represent the firm's credibility, and one formatting error can suggest unprofessionalism. This maps to a verbatim-confirmed interview question found in legal-assistant hiring guides ('What's your process for proofreading and synthesising legal contracts and research reports?'), plus the general theme across multiple sources that thorough proofreading covers content/clarity, grammar/punctuation, and formatting/citation consistency.
Describe a layered process: check for logical clarity and tone, then grammar and punctuation, then formatting and adherence to firm/court style, then verify all attachments and references, with a final read-aloud.
Proofreading a legal document beyond spelling and grammar means checking it in layers. First, content accuracy: names, dates, case numbers, dollar figures, and any facts or statutes referenced must be correct and consistent throughout the document, since a single wrong date or party name can undermine the document's credibility. Second, clarity and tone: the language should read the way the attorney would want to sound, professional and unambiguous, with no sentence that could be misread. Third, formatting and citation consistency: correct court caption format if applicable, consistent citation style, consistent numbering and headings, and adherence to firm or court style requirements. Fourth, completeness: confirming every exhibit, attachment, or enclosure mentioned in the body is actually included and in the right order. A final read-aloud pass, or a fresh review after stepping away from the document, helps catch errors that are easy to miss after multiple edits.
A common mistake is to rely solely on spell-check and overlook formatting inconsistencies, thinking 'Ay, okay na yan, wala namang red underline' (It's fine, there's no red underline). Instead, use a formal checklist covering content, grammar, formatting, and citation accuracy, and always do a final manual review.
Situation
As a legal administrative assistant, I was responsible for finalizing demand letters and contracts that the attorney would sign. One time, I was given a 10-page settlement agreement that needed to be sent out that afternoon.
Task
I had to ensure the document was error-free, properly formatted, and contained all required exhibits and correct client information before the attorney signed it.
Action
I began by reading through the entire document for logical flow and clarity, marking any sentences that seemed ambiguous. Then I ran a spell-check and used Grammarly, but I also manually reviewed each page for punctuation, especially in legal terms. After that, I checked formatting: consistent heading styles, correct font (always Times New Roman 12pt for this firm), proper margin alignment, and page numbering. I verified the caption, case number, and party names against our case file. I also cross-referenced all internal citations to exhibits and confirmed each exhibit was attached in the correct order. Finally, I printed it out and read it aloud to catch any lingering errors.
Result
The attorney signed it without changes, and the opposing counsel accepted the signed agreement without any formatting queries. The deal closed on schedule.
A systematic, multi-pass proofreading process catches errors that a single read-through might miss.
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