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Cutting and pasting from WordPerfect (or elsewhere)
Copying text from a WordPerfect document into Word can result in formatting disasters. Here’s how to avoid problems.
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Reader Question: How to double indent faster
Ever wanted one-click access to double-indent a paragraph (like for a lengthy quote)? One reader did, and here are the three methods I recommended.
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The 4 Biggest Time-Saving Microsoft Word Features You’re Probably Not Using
Want to do things faster in Microsoft Word? These four time-saving features are where you will get the most bang for your buck. Learning these will shave time off daily repetitive tasks, making you more efficient (and maybe even helping you get out of the office earlier!). Click the link below to find out more about how these features can make you more efficient.
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7 Ways To Screw Up A Table of Authorities
Microsoft Word’s Table of Authorities feature isn’t exactly known for its user-friendliness. Nobody’s ever said the word “automagically” about it. And more than one enterprising software vendor has found a lucrative niche making an easier-to-use interface for TOAs. I’ve had to use this feature myself on several occasions recently, and I’ve rediscovered seven ways you can easily (and thoroughly) screw up a Table of Authorities. Do yourself a favor and click through to learn from my mistakes!
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Reader Question: How to get footnote citations to show up in Table of Authorities
A reader contacted me recently with a real puzzler: What to do when a citation in a footnote doesn’t get picked up in the Table of Authorities. If you’re having this problem, there’s a solution. Click through for the details.
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Easy-to-read file folder labels for trial exhibits using Mail Merge
The last thing you need to be doing during a trial is frantically searching for the right exhibit. Laying your hands on the correct document becomes a whole lot easier when they’re in file folders marked with clear, easy-to-read labels. Here’s how to use Microsoft Word’s Mail Merge feature to transform your exhibit list into a set of labels with the exhibit number in large spot-it-from-across-the-room print.
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How to recycle your [legal] briefs safely
What sort of evil stuff lurks in that text you just pasted over from your last magnum opus? And how’s it going to undermine your next court filing? Click the link below to find out how to safely copy text from one legal brief to another.
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How to create numbered headings using Styles
Once again, my pain is your gain. I get frustrated enough to go nosing around in Styles looking for a way to automatically number headings, and now I’m showing you step-by-step how to do it. Click the link for the fully-illustrated tutorial.
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In praise of text expansion (or, how to keep from typing the same thing 100 times)
If you find yourself stuck typing “Brief in Support of American Amalgamated Consolidated Widget Corporation’s Second Amended Motion for Leave of Court to Conduct On-site Inspection” for the umpteenth time, let me show you how to get out of all that repetitive typing. It’s a concept called “text expansion”, and you don’t even need extra software to do it. Click the link below to learn how to use this feature in Microsoft Word.
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Reader Question: Copying WordPerfect footnotes to Microsoft Word
You know how I’m always telling you that the best way to get your old WordPerfect text into a new Microsoft Word document is to just copy it over? Well, that’s not always the case. Sometimes Microsoft Word doesn’t “translate” WordPerfect text into just the right Microsoft Word equivalent. A reader pointed out that doing a straight copy of WordPerfect footnotes into Word makes the numbering sequence go all wonky. Click the title above to find out how to copy those footnotes so you don’t spend forever fixing them. (Oh, and look at the very bottom of the tutorial. You’ll see a section that says “Members Only” which contains a link to a downloadable pdf version. If you don’t see the link, go to https://legalofficeguru.com/login and put in your user id [your email address] and password.)
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Why hanging indents are beautiful things
I used to be afraid to do hanging indents. (Silly, right?) But now I use them with confidence, and I’ve found they’re really handy. Click the link below to find out how I overcame my fear and the quick and easy way to fix hanging indents when they go wrong.
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Printing Envelopes and Labels, Part 2: Labels
In a very belated follow-up to my post on how to create and format envelopes in Microsoft Word, here’s a post on how to create and format labels. Both originate from the Mailings tab in versions 2007 and 2010 of Word or from the Tools menu of versions 2002 and 2003 – not exactly the easiest places to find! I’ve included instructions for both the ribbon and non-ribbon versions of Word for those who haven’t upgraded to the latest release. Click the link below to see the full illustrated tutorial.
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How to keep two words together on a single line
Need to make sure two words appear together on the same line, regardless of line wrap? Here’s how to do that by inserting nonbreaking spaces and hyphens.
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How to create your own Pleading Paper template, Part 2
If you completed the first unit in this course, you know that there are two basic formats of Pleading Paper: Armed with this knowledge (and your familiarity with your court’s particular requirements), you’ve chosen which template to start with. But it needs adjusting, doesn’t it? So here in Part 2, I’m going to show you…
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How to create your own Pleading Paper template, Part 1
I’ve gotten a fair number of questions from readers about how to format pleadings with line numbers down the left, commonly known as Pleading Paper. Typically, they sound something like this:
“My text never quite lines up exactly with the numbers on the pleading paper. What’s the trick??”
“PLEASE work on the pleadings template! I’m sure I and many others would pay bonuses for your guidance.”
“Pleading paper instructions would be fantastic! I mostly work in California state and federal courts, and our office just reuses old documents to keep the pleading paper formatting. Unfortunately this brings along a host of other formatting issues, and while I’d love to be able to start from scratch I don’t know how. Any help you could give would be terrific, thank you!!”
“I am not sure of the technical name for it, but years ago law firms had stationery with double lines on left side of a page and one line on the right. I know Word can duplicate it, but I don’t how to add them or what it is called. I will try the [pleading paper] template, but is there a way to remove the page numbering on the side?”
“I wish WORD was like WordPerfect in that we could just add the pleading format into the document after the document is completed. Anyway, if you could help me figure this out it would be great. I recently added [a plug-in] to Word/Office which provides a host of automated functions, like cite checking, quote check, and table of authorities, which would make finalizing a brief a breeze. However, if I can’t get out of the WordPerfect format for my brief writing, I don’t see where all these extra functions will benefit me.”
Okay, okay, I get it, I get it! Clearly, my standard reply (which I used so often that I actually created an entry in Quick Parts in Outlook for it) isn’t getting the job done. So, while I would love to create a custom template (like I did for that last person above) for each and every one of you, there just aren’t enough hours in the day!
So, in lieu of becoming a template factory, I’m going to show you how to make some common adjustments to those musty old Microsoft templates (either the 25-line one or the 28-line one) all by yourself. And if you don’t see your particular question addressed in this series, by all means leave it in the comments at the bottom, and I’ll add the answer.
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From the Comments: Cool TOA trick
Want your Table of Authorities entry to line-wrap at a specific point? A fellow Legal Office Guru reader shares her (fantastic) tip on how to accomplish that.
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When a tab is not just a tab, part 3: Center tabs
If you’ve ever wanted to center text on a point somewhere other than dead center between the page margins, you need to learn how to use Center tabs. Click through to the full article for a quick video showing you how to set one up.
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How to set tabs (without tearing your hair out)
Having trouble setting tabs in Microsoft Word? Here are two quick methods, plus a tip on how to set tabs for one section of your document without messing up the rest of your text.
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How to print an envelope in Microsoft Word
A WordPerfect Lover asked me to go “back to the basics” with some tutorials on essential Word functions, so I’m starting that effort with a tutorial on how to print envelopes in Microsoft Word. Click the “read more” link for a complete illustrated tutorial.
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