Why most law firm Word training is a waste of time
Most law firm training is pretty ineffective. But why? Here are the erroneous beliefs that drive ineffective training, and what you can do about them.
Hate Word? Change it
Frustrated by how Word is laid out? Can’t find your most frequently-used commands when you need them? Features not working how you’d like? Chances are, if you know where to look, you can change it.
Why the WordPerfect vs. Word wars are a waste of time
“WordPerfect’s more intuitive.” “Word doesn’t make any sense.” “Just show me what button to push.” The WordPerfect vs. Word wars have engendered a whole slew of myths about both word processors. Here, I bust a few of them.
3 Track Changes DON’Ts plus a review of Simul
Word’s Track Changes feature can trip up the unwary. Fortunately, there’s an alternative: Simul. #sponsored
How to remove page and section breaks safely
Have you ever hit the Delete key to remove a hard return (a.k.a. Paragraph Break) or Page Break or Section Break in your document, only to create an unmitigated formatting disaster? If you’ve done it just now, relax. Then hit CTRL-Z (undo) and read on. I’ll show you (a) why this happens and (b) how…
“Where did that line come from (and how do I get rid of it)?”
Have you ever typed a few dashes in between paragraphs (like as a placeholder or something), hit enter, and somehow wound up with a line all the way across the page that you can’t get rid of, no matter how many times you hit the Delete key?
Infuriating, isn’t it? But I’m here to tell you: It’s both fixable and preventable. (Yay!) Here’s how.
How to index a USB drive in 10 seconds
Now that we’re in the age of digitized documents, you’ve probably gotten one of those CDs, DVDs, or USB drives containing what would otherwise be reams upon reams of paper. While the digital versions certainly take up less space in your office, there’s no obvious physical structure to what’s been produced. And if you’ve gotten…
Reader Question: Forcing TOC entries to wrap at a specific point
I received a message from a reader earlier this week that went something like this: It IS kind of a complicated question, because the answer depends on which method he used to create the TOC.
Table of Contents: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
One of the things I’m on a rant about these days is loooooong documents. Complicated documents, like 20+ page contracts and appellate briefs and stuff like that. Why? Because they always seem to need special stuf inserted in them. Like custom headers and footers. And level-1 and level-2 and level-out-the-wazoo headings. It’s enough to make…
Print a document excerpt in Microsoft Word
A Legal Office Guru reader wondered how to print a document excerpt without having to figure out which page numbers to print.
Reader Question: How to create reciprocal hyperlinks in Microsoft Word
Ever wanted to click on a link to take you to another point in your Microsoft Word document, then click another to take you back to where you were? Here’s how to create hyperlinks that are reciprocal.
Getting pleading paper numbering on all pages
Many of you practice in courts that require you to use a format called pleading paper. Those are you who are familiar with it are probably groaning right now. Those of you who don’t probably will once you see this example: Yeah. It’s line numbers all the way down (like a court reporter’s transcript). Plus,…
Clearing all formatting from text
Some of you have taken my advice about using CTRL-SHIFT-N to “nuke” Microsoft Word formatting, only to be disappointed that it didn’t work quite as advertised. Here’s why, plus an alternative.
Does your Table of Contents need a do-over?
My friend Karen called me in a panic. “Bryan’s got this contract he’s editing [read: recycling] for a client. He’s added a new numbered paragraph, but it’s not showing up in the Table of Contents.” So, since I can’t always diagnose Word problems blind (I’m good, but I’m not THAT good), and I go to…
How to clean up your Style Gallery … permanently
The Quick Styles area, a.k.a. Styles Gallery (Word 2016) Have you ever noticed that long list running across the Home tab? That’s called the Style Gallery. It’s where all the Quick Styles (the most accessible Styles) are kept. (Those aren’t the only Styles Word has. There are actually over 200 of them!) But you may…
How NOT to count words in your Word document
Does your court require you to not only conform to word number requirements in your filings but to certify the number of words, either within the filing itself or in a separate certificate? Here’s how to meet that requirement without tripping over some sneaky Microsoft Word limitations. Unless otherwise noted, all instructions and screenshots are…
Why your headings don’t match your Table of Contents
While you can format your Heading Styles any way you want, that Style’s formatting doesn’t necessarily carry over to your Table of Contents. Here’s why.
The 1 Styles setting you should avoid
I received an email “distress call” from a reader recently. She’s trying to get started with Styles (YAY!), but she’s having some difficulties (BOO!):
The Document Assembly System Right Under Your Nose
Once you’ve gotten beyond the basics of Microsoft Word formatting, you’re ready for more advanced features. Here are two 17-second videos that prove Word can help you become a lot more productive.
How to autonumber exhibits with the SEQ field
A reader came to me recently with a dilemma: He needed to create a document that had lettered exhibits sprinkled throughout, in a format that looked like this:
End of content
End of content