Microsoft Word for Legal Firms

Course Length:  2 days

Course Overview

This two-day course is tailored to assist professionals in the legal field.  It will cover the basic and advanced skills necessary to create and design letters, legal documents, and templates using the functions of Microsoft Word.  All aspects of this class are designed to specifically meet the needs of Legal Firm professionals.  Classes can be customized and altered upon request. 

At Course Completion

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Use the Word Menu System and Word Toolbars
• Use Help Information and Learn Time Saving Shortcuts
• Create and Customize a Numbered/Bulleted List
• Reset the Left and Right Margins of a Document
• Set and Clear Tab, Decimal, Right and Left in a Document
• Reset Text Alignment in a Document
• Insert Section Breaks and Hard Page Breaks in a Document
• Use the Spelling, Grammar Checker, and Thesaurus
• Select, Define and Personalize User Options, and Defaults in Word
• Customize the AutoCorrect Dictionary and the AutoFormat as You Type
• Draw Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Objects into a Document
• Create, Customize, Save and Apply Legal Style Formatting to Word Documents
• Create, Customize, Save and Apply Legal Templates
• Access and Download Legal Form Templates on the World Wide Web
• Produce a Report
• Insert Pictures and Charts into Documents
• Perform a Mail Merge
• Generate Mailing Labels
• Produce Calculations in a Table
• Link or Embed a Microsoft Excel Worksheet
• Apply Effects to Documents with Borders, Shading and Backgrounds
• Create a Table of Contents, Table of Authorities, and an Index
• Create and Use Bookmarks
• Create Footnotes and Endnotes
• Manage a Workgroup Project and Track Changes in a Document
• Password Protect Legal Documents from Alteration
• Create Legal Forms
• Create Macros

Prerequisites

• A knowledge of personal computer fundamentals
• Experience in working within the Microsoft Windows environment
• A reasonable degree of keyboard proficiency

Course Outline

Lesson 1:  Getting Started with Word

Getting familiar with the Word Application Window

Using the Word Menu System

Using the Word Toolbars

Using Help

Lesson 2: Basic and Intermediate Editing

and Formatting Techniques

Reversing an Edit Operation

Inserting the Current Date and Time

Applying Attributes to Text

Applying a New Font and Font Size

Indenting a Paragraph

Formatting Existing Text

Creating a Numbered/Bulleted List

Changing the Zoom Level

Resetting the Left and Right Margins

Setting and Clearing Tab Stops

Using Decimal Tab Stops

Resetting Line and Paragraph Spacing

Inserting a Hard Page Break

Apply Underline and Effect Options to Text

Adjust Character Spacing

Inserting Symbols

Using the Format Painter

Setting up Page Setup Options and Defaults

Access and Download Free Legal

  Templates from the World Wide Web

Find Additional Templates and Help

  on the World Wide Web

Lesson 3:  Setting Up a Table

Inserting Tables

Formatting a Table

Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns

Totaling Numeric Entries in a Table

Merging Cells in a Table

Entering Vertical Text into a Table Cell

Using Table AutoFormat

Lesson 4:  Setting up Multiple-Column Documents

Creating Parallel Columns in a Document

Creating Newspaper Columns in a Document

Editing and Restructuring Newspaper Columns

Lesson 5:  Producing a Report

Create a Report using Outline View

Apply Artistic Text Block

Adding a Header/Footer to a Document

Adding Page Numbers to a Document

Enhance Reports using Page Borders and Shading

Adding Logos or Clip Art to a Report

Section 6:  Creating Styles and Templates

Apply a Style to Text

Create and Customize Styles for Legal Document Writing

Modify a Style for the Legal Documents

Use an Existing Legal Template

Create and Customize a New Legal Template

Section 7: Producing a Report

Create a Report using Outline View

Creating an Artistic Text Block

Adding a Header/Footer to a Document

Adding Page Numbers to a Document

Section 8: Working with Charts and Pictures

Inserting a Chart into a Document

Modifying a Chart

Inserting a Picture into a Document

Additional Chart Topics

Lesson 9: Advanced Editing

and Formatting Techniques

Finding and Replacing Text

Sorting Paragraphs and Lists

Balancing the Length of Newspaper Columns

Section 10: Additional Advanced Word Features

Linking External Data to a Word Document

Embedding an Excel Worksheet

Setup Default Printing Options

Print Specific Pages of a Document

Print Envelopes and Labels

Produce Calculations within a Table

Section 11:  Perform a Mail Merge

Creating a Main Document (Form letter)

Create a Data Source

Sorting Records of a Data Source

Insert Merge Fields into a Main Document

Section 12:  Advanced Report Techniques

Add Borders, Art and Shading to a Document

Create a Table of Contents

Create an Index

Create a Table of Authorities

Create and Using Bookmarks

Create Footnotes and Endnotes

Create Cross-References

Access Microsoft.com on the World Wide Web

Download Clip Art from the World Wide Web

Section 13:  Managing a Workgroup Project

Tracking Changes in a Document

Inserting Comments into a Document

Accepting and Rejecting Proposed Changes

Reviewing Comments

Protecting a Document

Saving Multiple Versions of a Document

Setting a Default Location for Workgroup Templates

Section 14:  Creating a Word Form

Introduction to Word Forms

Create a Legal Form Template

Adding Form Fields to a Form

Inputting Data into a Form

Additional Form Topics

Section 15:  Recording Macros

Record a Text Macro

Run a Macro

Save a Macro

Create Shortcut Keys for Macros