Writing a legal textbook or publication is no small task. It requires precision, clarity and a thorough understanding of complex legal topics. For legal authors, whether they are academics or practising professionals, this often involves extensive research, careful drafting and the challenge of translating intricate legal theory into clear, accessible language. The process can be time-consuming and for many, it is done alongside their primary professional duties. Increasingly, legal authors are turning to dictation paired with outsourced transcription as a method that offers both speed and flexibility. This approach not only saves time but also ensures the quality and consistency needed for legal publications.
Dictation: A Modern Tool for Legal Authors
Many legal professionals are already familiar with dictating notes, documents and correspondence. However, dictation is also a highly effective method for drafting legal textbooks, whether aimed at legal professionals or students.
Dictation allows legal authors to capture their thoughts as they occur, whether during a commute, a lunchtime walk or simply away from the desk. It frees the writing process from the limitations of the keyboard, enabling a more natural and fluid flow of ideas.
Moreover, authors can dictate content three to four times faster than they can type. This is particularly beneficial during the early stages of manuscript development when ideas need to be recorded quickly and without interruption. Dictation often encourages spontaneity, leading to connections between concepts that might not emerge during more structured drafting sessions.
Transcription Services: More Than Just Typing
Of course, converting dictated words into a polished manuscript requires more than just typing. This is where specialist transcription services, such as those offered by OutSec Legal, come into play.
OutSec’s legal transcriptionists are trained in the nuances of the legal profession and are well-versed in the specific formatting, citation styles and tone required for academic and professional legal writing. Whether you are preparing a practitioner’s guide, a textbook for students or a case law commentary, working with professionals who understand the difference between “obiter dicta” and “ratio decidendi” ensures that your transcription is both accurate and clear.
In addition to transcription, many services also offer proofreading and formatting support. This means that authors receive a clean, structured draft, saving them hours of revision. Many legal authors report saving up to 50 hours over the course of a single book by using outsourced transcription.
A Flexible Process for Ongoing Revisions
Legal writing is rarely a linear process. Drafts evolve, case law is updated and legislative changes often occur mid-manuscript. One of the key advantages of working with a transcription partner is the ease with which content can be updated and amended. Dictated notes can be revised and integrated into the main manuscript seamlessly, allowing for greater flexibility during the drafting process.
For academics revising textbooks based on lectures or practitioners responding to recent judgments, this flexibility is invaluable. It enables authors to stay up-to-date without the need for repetitive formatting or retyping earlier drafts.
Is Outsourcing Transcription Worth the Cost?
Outsourcing transcription is an expense, but it is an investment in your professional productivity. As legal professionals, we are trained to evaluate opportunity costs. Time spent manually typing, editing and formatting is time not spent on research, business development or strategic thinking. In some cases, it can even delay publication and push back crucial deadlines, whether for academic calendars or publisher timelines.
Therefore, the real question is not whether you can afford transcription services, but whether you can afford not to use them.
Rethinking the Writing Process
The traditional image of the solitary author hunched over a desk is no longer the only approach. By integrating dictation and transcription into your workflow, you allow yourself to focus on the intellectual and analytical aspects of your work. You can devote more energy to unpacking complex legal ideas, refining your arguments and improving the structure and clarity of your book.
This process does not diminish the quality of your work. In fact, it enhances it.
As legal professionals, we often advise clients to delegate tasks to the right experts. Writing a book should be no different.
Final Thoughts
Writing a legal book is a significant intellectual and professional achievement. It deserves a process that supports, rather than hinders, your creativity and expertise. By embracing tools like dictation and professional transcription services such as those offered by OutSec, legal authors can reclaim their time, improve productivity and enhance the quality of their final product.
Whether you are writing your first legal textbook or your fifth, it may be time to reconsider your approach and adopt a workflow that is as efficient, professional and precise as the content you create.
By embracing dictation and transcription, legal authors can ensure they meet the high standards of legal publishing while maximising their productivity. This method allows for a flexible, efficient and professional writing process that supports both the author’s expertise and the demands of modern legal publishing.
About OutSec
OutSec is the UK’s leading online transcription company whose business has grown substantially since its inception in 2002. We are now one of the most successful transcription companies in the United Kingdom.
OutSec provides secure outsourced transcription services to the medical, legal, property and surveying, universities, media and interviews, advisory boards, conferences & seminars, inventories, financial, corporate, HR, recruitment and Executive Search sectors.
Why is Dictation More Efficient than Typing?
Well, the simple fact is that we can all speak considerably faster than we can physically type:
“The average person types between 38 and 40 words per minute”.
A “good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute.”
In other words, dictation is up to four times faster than we can type. Therefore, simply dictating a document is more cost-efficient, giving you more time to dedicate your efforts elsewhere in your business.
Accounts are free, you pay on a per-minute basis (rounded to the nearest minute) on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or minimum spend. What do you have to lose? Why not open an account today?
Article written by Mark Hope.
Picture Attribution:
Image by Freepik
