The Law To Know

Free tool · Visual Communication

How to Write Clear Slides for a Legal Presentation: A Slide Checker

A good slide carries one idea, and its title states the idea as a claim, so that someone reading only the titles can follow the argument. Keep the text short, fewer than about 40 words and three points or fewer, in plain words and the active voice that names who did what. Replace legal formulae such as ‘pursuant to’, ‘aforementioned’ and ‘notwithstanding the foregoing’ with ordinary language. Show the one number that matters, large, and put tables, clause lists and methods in a handout that you give out after you have spoken. Order the slides as situation, problem, evidence, options, recommendation and action, and for a board open with the decision you are asking for. Use large type and high contrast, do not rely on colour alone, describe images in text and check file properties and speaker notes for confidential content before you send a file. Rehearse aloud with a timer.

Tool · Slide Checker

3 slides, 45 words on average; 2 with something to fix.

Slide 1: Background (34 words, 3 points)

  • The title (“Background”) names a topic. State the message instead, for example what happened and why it matters.
  • Legal formulae a lay audience will stumble on: pursuant to, aforementioned, in relation to. Say it in plain words.
  • 1 line is in the passive voice, which hides who did what. Name the actor.

Slide 2: Late deliveries cost the Company 240,000 in 2025 (31 words, 2 points)

  • No problems found on these checks.

Slide 3: Findings (69 words, 6 points)

  • The title (“Findings”) names a topic. State the message instead, for example what happened and why it matters.
  • 69 words is too many for a slide; the audience will read and not listen. Aim for under about 40, and move detail to a handout.
  • 6 points on one slide. Aim for three or fewer, or split the slide.
  • Legal formulae a lay audience will stumble on: hereunder, notwithstanding the foregoing, in due course. Say it in plain words.
  • 3 lines are in the passive voice, which hides who did what. Name the actor.
  • One slide, one message. If you cannot say the point of a slide in one sentence, split it.
  • A slide supports what you say; it is not a document. Put detail in a handout, and give it out after you have spoken.
  • Check legibility and colour contrast on the room’s screen, and add text descriptions of images for those who cannot see them.
  • These checks look at wording and length. They cannot tell you whether the argument is sound or the evidence is accurate.

Paste the text of your slides: put the title on the first line of each slide, the points on the lines after it and a line of three dashes (---) between slides. The tool checks for titles that name a topic instead of a message, slides with too many words or points, legal formulae a lay audience will stumble on, passive sentences, very long lines and slides crowded with numbers. It reads wording and length only: it cannot judge your argument or your evidence. Runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

How to use it

  1. Paste the text of your slides: the title on the first line of each slide, the points after it, and a line of three dashes between slides.
  2. Read the flags for each slide.
  3. Rewrite the titles as claims, cut the words and replace the formulae and passive sentences.
  4. Check again, and move detailed material to a handout.

Common questions

How many words should a slide have?

Fewer than about 40. Beyond that the audience reads and stops listening. A slide with 100 words is a document.

Why write the title as a sentence?

A sentence states the point the slide proves. A topic such as ‘Background’ leaves the audience to guess the point.

Can the tool judge my argument?

No. It checks wording and length only. Whether the argument is sound and the evidence accurate is for you.

Learn the law behind the tool

This tool is part of our Visual Communication course, with lectures, concept maps, flashcards, interactive exercises and a capstone case. Visual Storytelling for Lawyers: Slides and One-Page Summaries.

More free law tools

General information, simplified, mainly on American law, not legal advice. States and countries differ, and real cases turn on facts that a tool cannot capture.