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Now we’re going to look more specifically at tasks centred on proofreading, flagging ambiguities, and/or editing, re-writing or summarising sections of text. Note that our Writing professionally course provides comprehensive advice on proofreading, punctuation, avoiding ambiguity and writing concisely, but I’ll now go through some key general points to keep in mind.

1.Correct, don’t edit

Unless you are told otherwise, when proofreading another person’s document, do not make subjective changes (such as altering the substance, tone or style). Only correct mistakes. 

2. Spell-checker

Don’t rely solely on a spell checker, as it won’t necessarily pick up mistakes such as inconsistent use of defined terms, erroneous cross-references, incorrect use of words, or misspelled party names.

Defined term: to avoid repetition in contracts/legal documents, firms tend to use “defined terms”. A “defined term” is a capitalised word or short phrase used throughout a document that corresponds to a more detailed description contained elsewhere in the document (usually at the beginning or end of the document), for example the Buyer, the Seller, the Expert etc. The first time a defined term is introduced, it is typically referenced in a manner that makes it stand out, for instance in-between inverted commas or brackets and/or emboldened or italicised. By way of example, the start of a contract may state that the seller is “Company X, registered at Y address, with company number Z”. Referencing this long sentence each time you reference the seller would make the contract unnecessarily wordy, so firms tend to include a defined term at the end of the sentence, for example: “Company X, registered at Y address, with company number Z (the “Seller”)”. In this example, “Seller” is the defined term, meaning that whenever “Seller” with a capital “S” is used throughout the document, this indicates that the document is referring to “Company X, registered at Y address, with company number Z”. Using defined terms in this way helps to facilitate more precise/unambiguous drafting, without making documents too complex or wordy.

Automatic cross-references: clauses/paragraphs within legal documents tend to refer to other clauses/paragraphs. For instance, one clause may include an obligation (e.g. “Clause 14: one party must purchase a minimum of x number of products per year”), whilst another may include processes that must be followed when carrying out that obligation (e.g. “Clause 15: when making a purchase, the buyer must pay within y number of days using z method of payment”). The first clause may need to refer to the second clause, for instance “one party must purchase a minimum of x number of products per year, in accordance with clause 15”. Simply writing “clause 15” could be problematic, as the actual clause number may change if the position of that clause in the document later changes (e.g. if a new clause is inserted above it). To save you having to manually update all the references in your document each time the document changes, Microsoft Word has a function that lets you insert automatic cross-references. This function lets you input a special reference to a particular clause to which you want to refer (as opposed to simply a clause number), so that if that clause changes position in the document, references to that clause should automatically update to reflect its new position (e.g. an automatic cross-reference to “clause 15” would automatically change to “clause 16” if a new clause is inserted earlier in the document). 

3. Proofread everything

Carefully read every aspect of any document that you are asked to proofread. Check not just for spelling and grammatical mistakes, but also inaccuracies and substantive errors. For example, al ways double check that names, dates, email subject lines, contract signature blocks, headers and footnotes, and page numbers are correct, in light of any background information you are provided. Also check that font sizes and spacing are consistent, full stops have been used correctly, lists are written out with consistent formatting (e.g. with a semi-colon after each point, and with “and” or “or” next to the penultimate line), defined terms are listed in alphabetic order (where applicable), cross-references are correct, and so on.

4. Distance yourself from the work

Try to build in time between writing something and proofreading it, as you’re more likely to identify mistakes if you come back to the document with fresh eyes. For example, if part of a written exercise requires you to write a paragraph, perhaps start with this, then work through the other tasks, then go back and read your written paragraph one final time before submitting it.

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