Law Office Technology

Word 2007 Tips

Two things I just started doing in Word 2007 that make it better.

1.  Views -  I should have been using these for a long time

The outline view is totally amazing.  I am coding an ILIT Template for a client in HotDocs and just by using this view, I fixed some of the outlining issues that I was having.  The draft view is great for viewing a large document as it significantly speeds up the reviewing process.

 

2. Quick Styles Gallery

Very nice to be able to add certain styles I use over and over again to the Quick Styles Gallery for easy access

Word 2007 in Windows 7

Word 2007 was extremely unstable in Windows 7.  Here is the solution:

Remove the entire registry key (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data)

This will be rebuilt when Word starts.

Only had to do this on my tablet, my Dell Laptop running Windows 7 had no problems with Word at all.

Bar Briefs - October 19, 2009

Tech Tip - Word 2007: 2 Views that make all the difference

Word 2007, while a vast improvement over other versions, still can be difficult without the proper training to create and edit documents.  When creating documents in Word, most users keep the print layout view on the entire time.  The print layout view is great for showing what your final document will look like on paper, but not the best view for actually drafting documents. Outline View: Lets say you are creating a document that has a lot of number sections, paragraph headers and bullets.  For some reason Word is skipping between paragraph #6 and paragraph #7.  If you switch to the Outline View, it is usually very easy to spot your problem. Draft View: Documents in Word that are fifty pages or longer can be a real pain to edit.  The longer the document, the more memory and processor your computer will use to display it.  If you change the view to Draft, Word no longer displays headers, footers, and other features.  This means that computer needs a lot less memory to run the program and will speed it up. This tip is courtesy of Craig Bayer, Law Office Technology http://www.lawot.com/

LSBA Tech Tip: Microsoft Office 2007 Files

As seen in Louisiana Bar Today - Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Tech Tip: Microsoft Office 2007 Files
Craig Bayer with Law Office Technology offers advice on Microsoft Office 2007 files. With the introduction of Office 2007, Microsoft introduced a new file format (.docx). A Word document before 2007 would be saved as .doc. Users with Office 2003 or lower cannot open this new .docx format unless a converter is first downloaded (free converter available at http://tinyurl.com/y4eeye). “Two years later, law firms are still running into problems with this new format. Clients and other attorneys seem unwilling or unsure how to download this free converter,” Bayer said. To save time and hassle, Bayer recommends firms using Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) change their settings so they save all their documents in the .doc format in the 97-2003 format. In Word, go to Options >Save >Save Files in this Format and change the format to Word 97-2003. Follow the steps in Excel and PowerPoint as well. For more information, go to Law Office Technology’s Web site, http://www.lawot.com.

Microsoft Across America CLE

On August 1st, Law Office Technology along with Tom O' Conner from the Gulf Coast Technology Center, Digital Legal, and the Louisiana State Bar Association put on a seminar on how Law Firms could use Microsoft products in their practice.  Law Office Technology was able to get Microsoft to send down the Microsoft Across America Truck which was full of Microsoft Technology.  Attendees listened to three presentations and received CLE credit.  The first presentation dealt with Essential Technology a new firm would need to purchase.  The second, which in my opinion stole the show, was attorney Hector Lopez who described how his firm used Microsoft Hosted SharePoint and Hosted Exchange, along with a VOIP system to create a virtual office with none of the  limitations of a traditional brick and mortars Law Firm.  In my opinion, this is the future, today.  The last presentation, by me, described how Outlook with Business Contact Manager could be turned into a Case Management System. 

 

The Microsoft truck was filled with Smartphones, Servers, Tablet PCs, Projectors, Conferencing equipment, and an Xbox with Halo.  After each presentation Attorneys were able to file into the truck and see the technology in action.  With the success of this event, we hope to have the truck back in the spring.    

Microsoft to help out Louisiana

Partner Details on Microsoft Licensing Relief Program in Louisiana:

Microsoft and the state of Louisiana announced a License Relief Program for small businesses in Louisiana affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that launched October 1st. Through this Program, qualifying Small Businesses in Louisiana can be eligible to have their entire first year Open Value payment made by Microsoft on their behalf to allow them to benefit from the use of Microsoft technology as they strive to get back on their feet without having to absorb the up-front cost to do so.

What Small Businesses qualify for this Licensing Relief Program?

a. Small Businesses who meet ALL of the requirements below are eligible for this program:

• For-profit business with less than 200 employees

• In business prior to August 29, 2005, the date of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, or September 24, 2005, the date of Hurricane Rita’s landfall

• Business was located in one of the 30 Federal disaster designated Louisiana Parishes. (Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, E. Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Iberville, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermillion, W. Baton Rouge, W. Feliciana, and Washington)

• Have applied for the following federal or state government business assistance programs: SBA Disaster loan, State Bridge loan, and State Small Firm Loan and Grant Program? (You need not have been approved for aid.)

• Must purchase a three-year Microsoft Open Value Software License for business software and bring the purchase agreement to a Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) office and fill out the application.

• The purchase must be made between September 28th, 2007 and Sept 24th, 2008.

   3) How does the process work?

• Qualifying Small Business purchases a new three-year Microsoft Open Value Agreement through any local or national reseller

• Business owner brings first year invoice and documentation of federal/state assistance application to LSBDC

• LSBDC enters agreement number and other pertinent information into Microsoft web-based application and faxes copy of invoice to Microsoft

• Business owner leaves SBDC with "receipt" for their application, printed off the Microsoft web app

• Microsoft processes the application to validate the agreement, etc.
• If approved, Microsoft issues a check for the 1st year payment and sends it to reseller with SBDC cover letter

• Microsoft informs the SBDC that the check is cut or, if it's not approved, the reasons why not

• LSBDC informs small business that the process is complete

   4) What purchases qualify for this program?

a. New three-year Open Value License + Software Assurance (L+SA) purchases made between September 28th, 2007 and Sept 24th, 2008 by qualifying Small Businesses.

   5) Do Software Assurance only purchases or renewals, or any other purchasing program except a new Open Value L+SA purchase qualify?

a. No, Software Assurance (SA) only, OEM, Retail Box/Full-Package Product (FPP), Academic, Charity, Open Business, Select, Enterprise Agreement, or any other licensing program would not qualify.

You can view some additional information on this program below:

• Breaking News: Microsoft continues to expand hurricane relief efforts with help for Small Businesses through license reimbursement program
• Additional Details and Information about License Relief Program Announced Monday

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Visit the Microsoft Partner Program Portal.

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Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

If you have workstations running Office 2007 in your office, it would be a good idea to download the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack.  It will allow users of Office 2000, 2002, and 2003 products to open up 2007's xml format.  I have started to install it on all client computers because users will start be receiving .docx from clients and other attorneys. 

Word 2007 Settings

I have been setting up Word 2007 for clients that have purchased new computers.  Everyone seems to love the new ribbon design and I have discovered 3 changes that will make your transition go smoother.

1. Change the Save files in this format to Word 2003 and below until all the firm has converted to Word 2007.  .docx is an xml file format that Word 2003 users will have trouble opening.  This is the first time since 1997 that Microsoft has changed the office file format and in the long run it will be will worth it. 

2. Change the Default File Location to your server or your document repository unless you have a DMS installed.

3. Download the Microsoft Save As PDF add in for free so you can save your documents as PDF.  This will be very important if you decided to ignore my first recommendation.