Formatting Legal Documents with Word 2007

When Payne Consulting decided to discontinue it’s “Word xxx for Law Firms” series and not publish a volume for Word 2007, a serious void was created, especially since the changes in Word 2007 were fairly radical compared with previous versions.

Jan Berinstein’s Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007 goes a long way toward filling the gap. The book is designed as a “how to” guide rather than a reference guide, with sections like “Where Did It Go” concerning various topics (Section Breaks, Switch Windows, Spell-Checker, etc.) and “Miscellaneous Tips for Working Smarter and Faster.”

Reflecting Jan’s background in WordPerfect, the book also includes numerous references to the differences between Word and WordPerfect. Whether or not you, like many people, pine for WordPerfect even years after switching to Word, this will help make the underlying structure and functionality of Word more comprehensible.

The guts of the book lie in advice on how to customize Word – I immediately when out and followed some of her suggestions (such as how to get rid of the Ribbon bar while maintaining common functions via drastically expanded use of the Quick Access Toolbar) with very satisfying results. Her instructions also let me get rid of that horrible (and hard to read) Calibri font which is now the default for Word.

Contrary to most people who write about Word, Jan downplays the use of Styles. Most authors tend to the view that “if you implement a system of styles, Word will work really well.” In practice, however, small firms frequently do not have the staff or expertise to create an extensive set of styles that are needed to “make Word work really well.” So Jan’s approach, which stresses how to do things individually rather than relying on pre-canned packages, makes sense to me.

Specific chapters devoted to Paragraph Numbering Pleading Paper, Cross-References, and Tables of Contents/Authorities will be indispensable for firms that do not need to make the investment in Levit & James Best Authority.

Finally, sections devoted to file conversion and metadata point users in the direction of additional utilities that will expand or complement your use of Word.

The book is self-published by lulu.com and priced at $35.95. At that price, even if you only adopt a couple of suggestions to make your self more productive and efficient with Word, it is well worth it.

Comments

[Jan Berinstein]

John,

Thanks very much for your thoughtful review of my book. I just wanted to let your readers know that (1) the book is now available on Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/W2007Legal), and (2) I've started a blog with Word and WordPerfect tips. The blog is located at http://compusavvy.wordpress.com.

Best,
Jan Berinstein

CompuSavvy
Computer Training & Consulting
Author, "Formatting Legal Documents With Microsoft Office Word 2007"