Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Best Practices for Formatting Word Documents

By Roberta Gelb
August 02, 2013

I am always amused but never surprised when I examine the Word documents at most law firms. Years ago, I wrote an article that showed that it could cost $800,000 a year to edit poorly formatted documents.

Most law firms will say that their users “know” Word. The reality is that most of the documents we have seen could be improved dramatically. Unless you lift the veil and look beyond the printed document, you won't know that you have a “bad” document. A bad document is a complex document that requires undue, excessive editing time. A poorly formatted brief with a Table of Contents, a Table of Authorities, requiring section breaks and restarting of page numbers would be included in this category.

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.