Bloomberg Law Style Sheet

To download a PDF of Bloomberg Law guidelines and style, click here.

Go to Bloomberg Law Editorial Guidelines.

Must-Haves

  • A short, descriptive title.
  • Introductory text that describes why the topic is relevant and timely, then moves quickly into a roadmap of the article, highlighting any problems or issues it will address.
  • Short paragraphs and subheads that break up text for easier review.

General Style Points

  • Word count: 1000-3000.
  • We generally follow AP style and BlueBook for citations.
  • Bloomberg Law uses serial/Oxford commas, not AP style.
  • No double spaces after periods.
  • No bold or italics for emphasis.
  • No italics for cite intros—just use for case names.
  • No first-person voice. Second person is OK for practitioner tips, checklists, etc.
  • Avoid puns, metaphors, or cultural or literary references.
  • Em-dash—with spaces closed around it—is preferred to using parentheses.
  • Write out acronyms on first use, and use parentheses, without quotation marks, if only used once, or repeated farther down. If the acronym appears soon after, in the next sentence or paragraph, do not use parentheses on first mention.
  • Don’t mention or promote specific products or services.

Title and Bylines

  • Short, descriptive title, centered and bold. No colons. Use “&” instead of “and” in titles and subheads.
  • Centered under title: Contributed by [author name(s), firm/organization]
  • Maximum of four bylined authors.
  • Additional contributions may be recognized at the end of the article in this format, left-justified: With assistance from [contributor name(s), firm/organization]
  • Hyperlink each name to firm bio page, or LinkedIn if bio page is not available.
  • Firm disclaimer language: Positioned above byline as Editor’s Note in this format: Editor’s note: [Text of note here, no bold or italics.]

Citations

  • No footnotes.
  • No citations. This cuts down on the number of cites in a piece.
  • Authors can cite court decisions or other identifying information.
  • In-line citations after a sentence are acceptable, but used sparingly:

But many courts rejected that argument. See, e.g., DeMaria v. Andersen, 318 F.3d 170, 176–78 (2d Cir. 2003); Lee v. Ernst & Young, LLP, 294 F.3d 969, 976–78 (8th Cir. 2002).

  • Include a period at the end of the textual sentence, then place citation, also with a period, at the end.
  • Do not insert links for citations to cases and statutes, put them in Bluebook format. We will link the case name to Bloomberg Law.
  • In-line hyperlinks of other types of citations are encouraged for items like government documents. Link to a word or two in the sentence.
  • Each sentence or paragraph does not need citations. If a source is mentioned in one sentence and the following sentence or paragraph pulls from the same source, no need to keep citing different page numbers.
  • No Bloomberg Law competitor case citations—highlight in yellow if you don’t have parallel cites, and we will replace.

Formatting

  • Delete headers, footers, page numbers.
  • Left-justified text—no indenting.
  • No numbered sections or clauses unless it’s Practical Guidance, like a checklist.
  • Bullets should be consistent in punctuation—all periods at the end or no periods at the end. No semi-colons or “…, and”.
  • Avoid numbering within the text unless it’s in a quotation; just use commas or semicolons.
  • Avoid block quotes. It’s better to use shorter quotes and paraphrase.

Sections/Hierarchy

  • Keep section names short and simple.
  • Left-justify.
  • No all-caps or underlining.
  • Don’t number subheads or subsections.
  • Bold subheads and bold+italic subsections. Any further sections can be bolded and wrapped into a paragraph, e.g.:

Essential Definitions. For the most part, the EFTA uses the natural legal or colloquial meanings of “account,” “consumer,” and “financial institution.”

Sourcing

  • Any quotes should be attributed to a primary source or an original interview. Do not feature quotes or provide attribution from other news organizations, if possible. The exception is a widely quoted official or public figure whose statement is featured in numerous news outlets.
  • Do not link or cite to blogs, non-Bloomberg media articles, or vendors.

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