Note: This course covers only the Windows versions of Microsoft Office (2010, 2013 and 2016, a.k.a. the desktop version of Office 365)
Format Word documents in less time and with less frustration by using Styles intelligently
Note: If you previously purchased The Efficient Lawyer's Guide to Word, you already have access to all of these lessons.
Are you:
Whether you've worked with Microsoft Word for a while or are brand new to it, it could seem as though Word is designed to be intimidating. All those buttons across the top and dialog boxes and menus ... what are you supposed to do with all that?
And if you work in a law office, you probably spend a large percentage of your day sitting in front of a computer, and what time you don't spend sending emails is spent with Microsoft Word. After all, so much of legal practice involves creating and editing documents.
But just because you use something every day doesn’t mean you’re getting the most out of it. And with the way law practice is changing these days, you can’t afford to miss any opportunities to extract the maximum performance and productivity out of the tools you use every day.
Think about the last document you edited. How much time did you spend looking for certain features or struggling with the bad formatting that someone else put there?
Considering how much of your day is spent in front of Microsoft Word, and how important efficiency is becoming in law offices everywhere, doesn’t it make sense to learn how to use this tool well so that you can deal successfully with your ever-increasing workload?
Oh, you’ve tried to learn Microsoft Word on your own. You took that all-day training class your firm offered, only to be so overwhelmed you forgot most of it by the time you got back to your desk.
Or, you bought a book. But you’re too busy actually working to read a manual. Or maybe you’ve searched for help online, only to find confusing and conflicting instructions.
You see, traditional ways of learning how to use software set you up to fail. Classroom instruction dumps too much information on you all at once. Most software manuals are reference books for experienced users, not instructions for beginners.
And searching for help online? Forget it. Even a simple search brings back screen after screen of confusing (and often outright wrong) instructions.
You know you need to update your skills to do your job better. After all, it’s frustrating (and time-consuming) to struggle with even basic tasks in Microsoft Word. If only someone could take you by the hand and show you, step-by-step, how to make Microsoft Word do your bidding (and maybe even translate your WordPerfect tasks to Microsoft Word).
Hi, my name is Deborah Savadra (a.k.a. the Legal Office Guru). I’ve worked in and around law firms for over 20 years as a legal secretary, paralegal, and software trainer.
Like a lot of you, I started off with WordPerfect. Back when I began working in a law firm, WordPerfect was still in the DOS version. (Yes, I am that old!)
Geek that I am, I learned all sorts of ways to get the most out of WordPerfect. I had my “WordPerfect Function Key Claw” perfected, I programmed macros right and left, and when I wasn’t doing my own work, I was walking around helping the other staff with their WordPerfect challenges. I made WordPerfect sing!
But then came the day I left the legal field. In the “outside world,” they only used Microsoft Word. I was forced to adapt. I took classes, pored over software manuals, and generally figured it all out (often the hard way).
Fast forward a few years. After moving into software consulting and training, I found myself drawn back to working with law firms. And because I had so much Microsoft Word experience under my belt, I became the “go-to girl” for anyone still having trouble making the transition from WordPerfect (and trust me, a lot of folks are still struggling).
So I’ve seen (and heard) it all: the hair pulling, the fist pounding, and every other variation of “Word Rage.” I’ve been asked every question, seen every formatting foul-up, and performed major surgery on some seriously messed up Microsoft Word documents. (I’ve also stopped several people from throwing their computers out the window!)
Of course, being the “Word expert-in-residence” in a law firm, I get a lot of the same questions over and over again. So, to keep from repeating myself, and to save a little time, I started a blog of Microsoft Office tutorials. That way, I could often refer people to a specific blog post (often with video) when they had a question. It made my expertise available when I wasn’t.
But blogs are, well, … disorganized by their very nature. What you need is a systematic, step-by-step way to learn Microsoft Word.
I've started from the absolute beginning with this course, because:
Your first lesson about the ribbon came in very handy when I had a formatting problem and spacing problem. By hitting the little arrow in the lower right corner on Indent and Spacing Section of the Page Layout tab, I discovered that the problem text was centered or justified (I don’t remember which) which caused a line with a few words to be spread out with wide gaps between each word. THANKS!
Tom
So here's exactly what you'll be learning in this course:
This course covers Microsoft Word version 2010 through 2016 (a.k.a. the desktop version of Office 365) for Microsoft Windows. (Sorry Mac users; I don't have corresponding instructions for the Mac versions of Word.)
Basic Word Skills for Legal Professionals contains 27 bite-sized lessons perfect for incremental, at-your-own-pace learning. After all, this sort of bit-by-bit instruction mimics the way you naturally learn a new skill. After all, you didn’t start speaking in full sentences as a baby, did you? You started by imitating the sounds you heard your parents make. Then you gradually started forming whole words. Eventually, you strung those words into sentences.
That’s the way most people learn things – step-by-step. And that’s how Basic Word Skills for Legal Professionals works, too. It presents you with one simple building block, then another, then another. With each lesson, you’re building your Microsoft Word skills gradually, naturally, and painlessly.
These lessons are fully illustrated, with short videos strategically placed within each lesson to show you step-by-step how to use the feature(s) being covered. Each lesson covers just one set of skills. No information overload here!
Contrast that with the way most legal professionals receive training. They corral you into a conference room, race through a webinar or in-person training presentation that dumps a ton of information on you, then send you back to your desk with the absurd expectation that that's going to make you more productive!
Listen to what another student has to say about the course:
Very good! Nicely organized and presented. I like your teaching style in your videos as well, and hearing the “clicks” kept me focusing on the screen and seeing where you were headed next. Good job!!!
Jo
If you've ever looked at the cost of taking a basic Word course at your local community college or at a software training center, you'll probably find that it's over $100. Plus, you're probably going to be required to be in their facility at certain dates or times to take the training.
With this course, you can learn in your own environment, practice at your own pace, and decide exactly what skills you want to learn when.
I don’t want you to pay $27 (US) for this course if you’re not absolutely convinced it will help you.
That’s why I offer a 60-day money-back guarantee. During that time, you could review all 27 lessons from the course. If you decide with 60 days of purchase that this course didn't improve your skill level and make you more productive, all you have to do is email me, and I'll process a refund, no questions asked!
Click the button below to add this course to your cart, then click it again to go to checkout. You'll choose your login user ID and password and give me the email address you want your periodic reminder emails to go to. Your purchase receipt will contain a link to your first lesson and instructions on logging in and navigating around the courseware.
What do you have to lose? Click the Add to Cart button below now!
Learn how to effectively co-edit documents with other Word users using Track Changes and other features on Microsoft Word's Review tab
My Brief Builder's Workshop course covers the specific Microsoft Word features attorneys and law office staff use to format legal briefs and other complex pleadings.
In Brief Builder's Workshop, I cover topics like:
This course provides you some targeted help with legal-specific features like Table of Authorities plus how to use other features like Table of Contents, page numbering and document sections within the specific context of producing a legal brief.
Here's a list of the lessons:
Lessons in the Course |
|---|
TOA: Marking your first citation |
TOA: Marking second and subsequent citations |
TOA: Defining and inserting your TOA |
TOA: Deciphering TOA markup |
TOA: Modifying TOA Styles |
TOA: Before you print/publish |
TOA: Common problems & solutions |
TOC: Defining a Table of Contents based on Styles |
TOC: Manually marking TOC entries |
TOC: Inserting the TOC into your document |
TOC: Modifying your Table of Contents Sections & Page Numbering: Using Sections to control page numbering, headers & footers |
Because the lessons deal with a very specific context, chances are you've come here because you're right in the middle of an actual brief and need some targeted help with the formatting that comes with producing legal briefs.
This course covers the features that get little to no attention in the Microsoft Word manuals you buy in a bookstore or on other websites about Word. It's also focused specifically on how these features are used in a legal context.
All course content is based on the Windows-based version of Microsoft Word (sorry Mac users!) and covers versions 2010 through 2016 (a.k.a. the desktop version of Office 365). So whether you're up on the latest and greatest Word version or you've been putting off upgrading ... you're covered.
And every course I offer comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. If it doesn't meet your needs, all you have to do is email me for a refund within 30 days of purchase. It's risk-free!
Don't put this off for another day, because you'll want to have this resource handy for future briefs, too!
Will your next brief be as frustrating as your last one? Click the Add to Cart button below to get on the road to faster, easier brief formatting!
Are you:
If you work in a law office, chances are you do a lot of your daily work in Microsoft Word. After all, documents are central to virtually every law practice. Pleadings, agreements, letters ... they're the tangible "work product" of all that thinking and analyzing and strategizing you do every day.
Yet, even as technology advances, we still create and edit documents the same way we did in the 1990s:
For a long time, we could all say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But The New Legal Normal changed all that.
Back when virtually every law practice was billing clients by the hour, efficiency wasn't on our radar.
But The New Legal Normal (courtesy of the recent Great Recession) has forced all of us to rethink everything. A recent study shows that over 80% of law firms are now billing at least some work on a fixed or other alternative fee basis. And those changes are only going to spread to more and more law practices as clients demand cost-saving measures.
If we can no longer bill for however much time it takes to do our work, then we have to:
The temptation here is to think that there's some tool somewhere that can make it all better in one fell swoop. The bad news is, that's a fantasy.
But actually that's good news, because making incremental improvements in the tools we already have (e.g., Microsoft Word) is something you can do without spending money on new software or loads of time implementing it. It's not only the least interruptive method for improvement, it's the most cost-effective, too.
I'm Deborah Savadra, and I've worked as a legal assistant, paralegal, and software trainer for over 20 years. I've not only created lots of legal documents myself, I've helped others at their desks by solving problems they had with their own documents, problems that could be solved with just a bit more skill with Microsoft Word.
Since the Great Recession of 2008, I've been subject to the same conditions as you: staff reductions forcing fewer people to take on more work, increasing client demands for discounts, flat fees, and other alternative billing arrangements, and law firms changing (and, in some cases, failing outright) because of the New Legal Normal. I've watched co-workers walk past my desk, belongings in a box, because the firm I worked for decided that they required less staff, and those of us who were left found ourselves buried under the increased workload.
I'm Deborah Savadra, and I've worked as a legal assistant, paralegal, and software trainer for over 20 years. I've not only created lots of legal documents myself, I've helped others at their desks by solving problems they had with their own documents, problems that could be solved with just a bit more skill with Microsoft Word.
As all of this change has been happening around me, I've found myself in a "survival of the fittest" environment. I've been asked to take on more and more work, so I've been forced to develop techniques to shortcut my document creation/editing process. Over time, I've assembled an arsenal of these techniques that slash my turnaround time in Microsoft Word.
And now, I'd like to share them with you.
Since the Great Recession of 2008, I've been subject to the same conditions as you: staff reductions forcing fewer people to take on more work, increasing client demands for discounts, flat fees, and other alternative billing arrangements, and law firms changing (and, in some cases, failing outright) because of the New Legal Normal. I've watched co-workers walk past my desk, belongings in a box, because the firm I worked for decided that they required less staff, and those of us who were left found ourselves buried under the increased workload.
As all of this change has been happening around me, I've found myself in a "survival of the fittest" environment. I've been asked to take on more and more work, so I've been forced to develop techniques to shortcut my document creation/editing process. Over time, I've assembled an arsenal of these techniques that slash my turnaround time in Microsoft Word.
And now, I'd like to share them with you.
I've taught several of these techniques to my readers here at Legal Office Guru, and their response has echoed my experience:
I work for an equipment leasing company and support our legal/documentation department. Thanks to you, my Word skills have significantly improved and saved me a LOT of time and frustration. I now use Auto Text for Company name, address, and managers' names and will be on the lookout for more!
I am so glad that I took the time to watch this video. I will use Quick Parts for: Certificates of Service, Subpoenas, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, Notary inserts, Rule 803 notifications, standard cover letters, and on and on. I am so grateful to learn this valuable tool. Thank you.
Thank you!!! Fifteen minutes to learn a new skill that will save me hours. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you doing all the work and picking out the jewels of wisdom. I am always digging through looking through old docs notary jurat, not anymore! Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you for the great video. Immediately useful for discovery objections; discovery definitions; discovery instructions; standard interrogatories and document requests. Also for inserting standard language in commonly utilized fee agreements.
These techniques are immediately useful because they're all based on native Word features. No full-fledged document assembly systems or even plugins to install! So even if you're not in a software decision-making role at your firm, you can start becoming more productive as soon as you learn the first Assemble Documents Faster technique. No purchase or permission required!
Assemble Documents Faster consists of 30 lessons organized into 5 modules. Here's a guide to what we'll cover together:
You don't have to build an entire library of documents and clauses to benefit from some document assembly techniques. Here, we talk about various scenarios that lend themselves to these techniques to get you thinking about where you'll deploy them for maximum benefit.
You've learned some Quick Parts techniques in the Assemble Documents Faster Workshop, but there's even more to this handy feature. How about creating one with self-updating dates or other fields? We'll also cover the different Building Block galleries like headers, footers and watermarks, plus how to edit existing Quick Parts.
AutoText and AutoCorrect are very similar features, but there are instances in which one is really a better choice than the other. For instance, one of these features is ideal for inserting symbols like ¶ or § and even formatted text like id. Can you guess which one it is?
Automatic paragraph numbering is one of those features that can make life so much easier, once you master it. Mastering it, however, is no mean feat. I devote no fewer than 8 lessons just to this feature to ensure I cover as many different numbering scenarios as possible, plus how to diagnose and fix paragraph numbering problems.
If you create long, complex documents that have complicated numbering schemes and text like "see Section 3.14", you'll want to pay special attention here. Once you learn to use automatic numbering, pairing it with cross-referencing can make editing a breeze, because it'll eliminate the need for manual updating.
There's more than one way to use Cross-References. Embedding bookmarks at strategic points in your text allows you to later point back to that exact location (by page number, paragraph number, heading or other relative location). It's another way to save yourself editing time later!
Have you ever wanted to enter a client or party's name once and have it repeated (with appropriate formatting) in all the right spots throughout your document? Word has several techniques to do just that, and at least one of them will work perfectly for your documents!
Have a particular document type that you produce frequently? Combining any or all of these other techniques with Word templates can create a powerful word processing asset that can save you tons of time in the future.
No course is for everybody! Here's who I've found have the most to gain from Assemble Documents Faster, versus those who would not benefit from it.
Take 10-15 minutes to go through one lesson each work day, and I guarantee you'll be working faster and smarter with Microsoft Word from now on. If you don't agree, I'll refund your money, no questions asked, so long as you request your refund within 60 days of purchase.
Here are some answers to frequently-asked questions about my courses:
