Definition
What is a case scrolly?
A case scrolly is a legal case presented as a scrolling web page, where the visuals change as the reader moves through the argument and every factual claim links to the record. Scrollbrief calls its version a scrollbrief.
Where the form comes from
Scrollytelling grew out of newsroom graphics desks. The New York Times piece Snow Fall, published in 2012, is often cited as an early example. A scrolly pairs long-form writing with a visual that responds to the reader’s scroll, so the picture and the sentence arrive together.
A case scrolly applies that form to litigation. The essay becomes the case theory, the visual becomes the timeline, the document or the damages model, and the footnotes become citations to the record.
The five parts
- A pinned visual. A timeline, diagram, document or chart that changes as the reader scrolls.
- Short text steps. One point per step, each cueing a change in the visual.
- Record citations. Every factual line opens the page of the record it rests on.
- A PDF twin. The same content on paper, for the claim file, the mediator or the court.
- A cite table. Every claim listed against its source, for the attorney’s sign-off.
How it compares
| Format | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Demand letter | Complete, familiar, fits the file | Text only; the reader builds the picture alone |
| Settlement documentary or day-in-the-life video | Makes the harm felt | The viewer cannot skim, search or check a source mid-film |
| Slide deck | Fast to make, easy to present live | Needs a presenter; loses its thread when read alone |
| Case scrolly | Reader sets the pace; picture, sentence and source arrive together | Takes a strong record and a week or two to build |
When to use one
- The claim is large enough that a custom piece pays for itself.
- The story depends on sequence, mechanism, comparison or scale.
- The record is strong and the other side has not absorbed it.
- The reader is skeptical and will want to check.
When a letter is enough
Routine claims with clear liability and modest damages move well on a demand letter, which a firm can now draft quickly with software. A case scrolly is for the handful of matters each year where the letter undersells the case.
Cost and time
At Scrollbrief, a demand piece runs $7,500 to $15,000 and takes about 10 business days. For comparison, one producer quotes $5,000 to $15,000 for most settlement videos, The Indiana Lawyer and fuller settlement documentaries run $20,000 and up. Plaintiff Magazine
Use at trial
The visuals in a case scrolly can be prepared as illustrative aids. In federal court those fall under Rule 107 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, in effect since December 1, 2024. Trial Magazine on Rule 107 See mediation briefs and trial aids.
See one
Four steps of a case scrolly on the hot-coffee verdict are live on the home page. For the broader form, read Michael Wilhelm’s What is a scrolly?