Comments on: Microsoft Word: Use the Normal.dot template to change your default margins, fonts, and more http://www.lawyersrighthand.com/microsoft-word-use-the-normaldot-template-to-change-your-default-margins-fonts-and-more.htm Tutorials, tips on career, excellence and work/life balance for legal secretaries Tue, 04 May 2010 18:39:43 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Carol Bratt http://www.lawyersrighthand.com/microsoft-word-use-the-normaldot-template-to-change-your-default-margins-fonts-and-more.htm/comment-page-1#comment-13 Carol Bratt Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:58:52 +0000 http://www.lawyersrighthand.com/?p=325#comment-13 It is insanity to change your normal.dot in MS Word unless you want every single document that you create to exactly the same and we all know that is not the case in a law office. It makes much more sense to create a template for your documents. I have created templates for attorneys for their letterhead, pleadings, briefs, etc. As soon as I create the template, I create a button for their toolbar so that all they have to do it click the button and their document appears. I have also installed software on their system that only costs $150.00 so that when they click on that button on the toolbar, a dialog box appears and for a pleading for instance, you fill in the name of the Plaintiff, Defendant, dates, his/her, she/he hit enter and bingo, your document is complete in less than five seconds. I can see changing the default font in your normal.dot and even the margins, but then you most likely have to do it again for a Brief or a pleading or a block quote. Templates are definitely the way to go. You can also use Styles and then you can just key in your text and when you are finished, apply the style to do your formatting for you. I would never advise anyone to keep changing the normal.dot. It is insanity to change your normal.dot in MS Word unless you want every single document that you create to exactly the same and we all know that is not the case in a law office.

It makes much more sense to create a template for your documents. I have created templates for attorneys for their letterhead, pleadings, briefs, etc.

As soon as I create the template, I create a button for their toolbar so that all they have to do it click the button and their document appears.

I have also installed software on their system that only costs $150.00 so that when they click on that button on the toolbar, a dialog box appears and for a pleading for instance, you fill in the name of the Plaintiff, Defendant, dates, his/her, she/he hit enter and bingo, your document is complete in less than five seconds.

I can see changing the default font in your normal.dot and even the margins, but then you most likely have to do it again for a Brief or a pleading or a block quote.

Templates are definitely the way to go. You can also use Styles and then you can just key in your text and when you are finished, apply the style to do your formatting for you.

I would never advise anyone to keep changing the normal.dot.

]]> By: Twitted by AdrianaL http://www.lawyersrighthand.com/microsoft-word-use-the-normaldot-template-to-change-your-default-margins-fonts-and-more.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7 Twitted by AdrianaL Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:45:04 +0000 http://www.lawyersrighthand.com/?p=325#comment-7 [...] This post was Twitted by AdrianaL [...] [...] This post was Twitted by AdrianaL [...]

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