50 Using sections to control page numbers, headers and footers




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Using and configuring AutoFormat As You Type

Have you ever been typing along, looked back at what you typed and discovered that something weird happened? Like, you typed a few dashes, hit return, and now there's a solid line all the way across the page?

There's more than one possible explanation for these kinds of oopsies (none of them your fault), so there's more than one fix.  Today, we're going to talk about setting your AutoFormat options.

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3 How to reconfigure AutoCorrect to NOT drive you crazy

How many times has this happened to you?

You're typing merrily along (or maybe not so merrily, but, hey, you're typing), and whatever you're drafting/transcribing has a list that starts with (a), then goes to (b), then to (c), etc.

And you type the open paragraph symbol, the letter "c", and the close paragraph symbol, and as soon as you hit the space bar ...


Yes, AutoCorrect strikes again.  And when it's not correct, it's wrong.  Seriously  wrong.

Fortunately, there's a way to fix that.  I promise.

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1 Copying formats using Format Painter


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25 Using and formatting columns in Microsoft Word

I'll admit it — I'm not a big fan of adding columns in Microsoft Word.  Not that there's anything wrong with columns, per se.  Columns work fine (until they don't).  But in a legal office environment, I usually format blocks of information with tables because they're a bit easier to control.

That said, I have seen lots of legal professionals insert multiple columns in Microsoft Word to format things like service lists in Certificates of Service.  Hey, to each her [his] own.

So if you want to format text with columns in Microsoft Word documents, here's what you need to know:

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4 Taming naughty footnotes, pt. 1


  • Click the Office Button (top left-hand corner)
  • Click Word Options (at bottom of menu)
  • Go to Advanced
  • Scroll all the way down until you see Compatibility Options
Compatibility Options in Word 2007

Compatibility Options in Word 2007

Your footnote should now appear on the correct page.

(You’re welcome.)

5 Using Styles & Formatting


No, not style -- Styles.



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Basic headers and footers


Let's get started.

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12 So, you miss Reveal Codes in WordPerfect?

The most common complaint I hear from legal professionals who've started using Word is, "I miss Reveal Codes!"


But what most users don't know is there's something similar in Word. In some ways, it's better. (Intrigued?)

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3 Indenting paragraphs

Sooner or later, you'll need to start a paragraph somewhere other than the left-hand margin. Or have it not extend all the way to the right margin, or wrap somewhere short of the left margin. That's where paragraph formatting with indentation and tabs comes in.


While Word does some default paragraph formatting for you, you may want to change the formatting to suit a particular need. For example, you may need to double-indent a section of text to quote case law for a brief.

First, let's talk about basic indentation (which can be done from the Formatting toolbar), then we'll go over more advanced indentation (like double-indents for quotes).

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1 Block protect – why two types & what’s the diff?





... then choose one or both of these options.


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Creating watermarks

Watermarks (that light-colored text that appears behind the main text of your document) can be really handy. For instance, would anyone mistake this for a final document?

I think not. I mean, that's pretty clear, right?

Now that you're convinced of the Watermark's usefulness, here's how to insert and format one.

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5 Automatic numbering makes exhibit dividers easy

While I've covered how to use the Bullets and Numbers feature in Word extensively elsewhere (that required multiple video tutorials to be really effective), you may find you need to create a series of numbers not related to paragraphs or headings.  Here is a quick and easy way to embed automatic numbering you may not have thought of:

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3 Inserting symbols and special characters

If you work in the legal field, you may often find it necessary to type special symbols and characters that aren't anywhere on your keyboard. There are two ways to do this, and the second one is particularly handy if you use certain symbols frequently (like ¶ or § or °) and don't want to stop to use the mouse.

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17 Why your pages break in weird places





What's going on?

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1 How to Squeeze It All on One Page



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Beyond Bold, Italic & Underline: Special Formatting in Microsoft Word

While boldface, italic and underline will get you through most character formatting challenges, Microsoft Word has more in its arsenal for formatting text (as opposed to inserting special characters or formatting with styles) via the Format Font dialog box (accessible via the Home tab on the Ribbon by clicking on the small launcher arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the Font command group OR using CTRL-D):

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