BlueLine simplifies legal writing and research

The lawyers in John Grisham’s novels never seem to spend much time doing what most lawyers do: researching cases and writing briefs. Maybe they use BlueLine, a desktop application that speeds and simplifies the often arduous process of legal writing, editing and citation.

BlueLine is like having a high-powered editor and researcher review your document. It quickly checks citations, quotes and other formalities such as pincites, the pinpoint citations that direct a reader to specific page or footnote in a case law book.

The application minimizes legal research fees by adding hyperlinks to each case law citation and it directs users resources where they can find the case details and rulings for free. That bypasses the high fees charged by many online case law databases.

BlueLine was founded by two graduates of the University of Pennsylvania Law School who came up with the idea while working at the school’s law review. The program is currently in a public beta phase where it’s available for free. After the beta period, BlueLine is scheduled to cost between $20 and $30 per user per month.

For more details, check the BlueLine website.

z

Browse More Articles

Tweet

Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.