BriefCatch: A New Legal Writing Aid

Law students and lawyers spend countless hours drafting, writing, editing, and rewriting papers. But this does not necessarily mean that their work-product is the highest quality.  In many cases, having a second set of eyes to review and make suggestions can help attune writers to style and grammar habits that they wouldn’t otherwise notice. Professor Kishbaugh, for example, spends countless hours helping students become better writers.

Now, the RWU Law Library provides a new review software, BriefCatch, on all of its computers and for download onto personal computers through students’ Bridges accounts. BriefCatch, designed by a legal writer for legal writers, works seamlessly on Windows with Microsoft Word (or through Parallels on Mac), giving users straightforward access right through Word’s interface. 

So just what does BriefCatch do? It:

• Provides line-by-line editing suggestions and reasons for the suggestions.
• Provides three editing “Catch Modes” where you control whether it reviews for style, errors, and inconsistencies, or everything.
• Generates tailored reports to help you understand your writing habits.

If you want to learn more about BriefCatch, or need help installing it, feel free to stop by the law library for help!