# Why are some sentences in legal documents written in ALL CAPS?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-sentences-in-legal-documents-written-in-all-caps/772396>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 19, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-sentences-in-legal-documents-written-in-all-caps/772396 "2016-11-19T02:23:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-sentences-in-legal-documents-written-in-all-caps/772396/21 "2016-11-22T22:50:07Z")

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And why are numbers both written out as words AND included as numerals? As in: … contact us within five (5) days …

Are there people who can read the words “contact”, “within” and “days” but are to stupid to know what “five” means? Is there some kind of trick test to make sure people don’t change the number, e.g., … contact us within five (15) days …

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-sentences-in-legal-documents-written-in-all-caps/772396/22 "2016-11-22T23:00:55Z")

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That’s actually a holdover from when legal documents were handwritten; having the number and numeral written out reduced the possibility that there would be no way of determining what the number was supposed to be. It’s really of no practical use now, but lawyers are creatures of habit. In case you wondered, [the numeral controls over the written word when they conflict](https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6594371165651047243), at least under the UCC.

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-sentences-in-legal-documents-written-in-all-caps/772396/23 "2016-11-23T17:12:26Z")

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> [@dofe](#):
>
> I’ve not come across any current procedural rules that call for underlining of authorities, but then again I practice in the US federal courts – things are obviously different in Canadian courts.

I don’t think you’d find any difference in citation of authorities in Canadian legal practice. Italicization is always used for authorities. Examples:

_Judgment Interest Act_, R.S.A. 2000, c. J-1  
_Tataryn v. Tataryn Estate_, [1994] 2 S.C.R. 807

In the course of research, I’ve encountered some old (well, not that old, but old enough to have predated the days when computers were used) typewritten legal documents that used underlining. But as has been said, typewriters couldn’t italicize. Certainly, printed reporters and statutes and other such materials have always used italics.

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