Most lawyers use yellow-colored writing pads because they have to deal with lots of documents, and the handwritten notes on yellow pads stand out among the pile of white-colored documents. The yellow color on paper pads is soothing to the eyes as the paper does not hurt the eyes under bright lights.18 Nov 2019
What makes a legal pad legal?
The only thing that makes a pad of writing paper qualify as a legal pad is that it must have a vertical line on the left side creating a 1 ¼” margin. It can be any color, any length or size and the lines can be any width. It's that specific margin that makes it a legal pad. Still, why is it called a legal pad?12 Nov 2012
When did legal pads become yellow?
According to a historical deep-dive on legal pads in a 2005 issue of Legal Affairs magazine, Holley added these lines "in the early 1900s at the request of a local judge who was looking for space to comment on his own notes."
Why are American note pads yellow?
As noted in Why are legal pads always yellow?, the yellow color made it easy to quickly distinguish one's notes from other papers in a legal client's folder. It has been speculated that originally, the off-color of the paper scraps could be made more visually appealing with the yellow dye.
Why are yellow pads called legal pads?
The legal pad was invented by a paper mill worker, Thomas Holley, in Massachusetts around 1888. The theory is that because the pads were originally created using pieced-together scraps, they looked cheap and low quality. So Holley dyed them to make them a classier, more uniform yellow.27 Feb 2020
Why do lawyers use legal pads instead of notebooks?
Lawyers required a lot of paper for keeping track of different cases, taking notes, drafts, etc. Most lawyers use yellow-colored writing pads because they have to deal with lots of documents, and the handwritten notes on yellow pads stand out among the pile of white-colored documents.18 Nov 2019
What is it called a legal pad?
Legal pads are colored a gaudy yellow. They're covered in red and blue lines. They're called “legal pads”, but are mostly used by creatives or corporate professionals that aren't lawyers.14 Mar 2020
Who invented the legal pad?
Thomas Holley
Do legal pads have to be yellow?
Aside from the yellow paper, blue lines and a gummed, tear-off top, the red margin is the only requirement for a pad to qualify as a legal pad. In other words, yellow, blue, pink or purple paper, without the red margin, it's not a legal pad.27 Feb 2020