Here at the MCBA, we’re trying to mix it up with our Bar View blog by presenting different perspectives and guest writers. This week’s Bar View guest writer is Nicole Black.
5 Tips To Supercharge Microsoft Office
By Nicole Black, Esq.
Years ago, the legal world was evenly divided between fans of WordPerfect and Word. Eventually, Microsoft Word won out, although there are still a few diehard lawyers who still use WordPerfect. Even so, most lawyers have switched to Microsoft Office, for better or for worse. If you’re one of those lawyers, you’re no doubt always on the lookout for ways to make the most of Office. If so, you’re in luck. Here are a few useful tips and tricks that will help you tailor Office to your firm’s unique needs.
- Create forms with TheFormTool
Because lawyers work with forms so often, any tool that streamlines that process is worth looking into. That’s where TheFormTool comes in. It’s a free add-on for Word that simplifies the process of creating and working on forms. You can download it here.
- Use Office Mix for more engaging presentations
Communicating effectively is a valuable skill for all lawyers to have. One way to do this is to create an unforgettable presentation using PowerPoint. A good rule of thumb with any presentation is that the more interactive your message, the better it will be received. Office Mix, a free add-on for Powerpoint that is designed to enhance PowerPoint presentations and create an even more interactive experience for your audience, helps you build interactivity into your presentations. Because Office Mix helps to make presentations so interesting, it’s popular with teachers who often use it in their classrooms. For tips from a teacher on using Office Mix to its fullest, check out this post. I have no doubt you’ll find that some of the ideas translate well from classroom to courtroom!
- Easily create Tables of Authorities with Best Authority
Another useful tool is Best Authority, which is software designed for lawyers that works with Word, making it a simple task to quickly create Tables of Authorities from a legal memorandum or brief. Using this software you’re able to avoid the time-consuming task pulling all of the citations out of the document manually. It’s not free, but if you’re a litigator with a document intensive practice, it’s definitely worth looking into.
- Manage Outlook attachments with EZDetach
For lawyers, email is often the bane of their existence. Managing incoming emails and their attachments can be a task in and of itself. In many cases, the attachments are the most important part of emails, but staying on top of and tracking attachments can be challenging. Enter EZDetach. It’s a reasonably priced add-on designed to work with Outlook and makes it easy for you to quickly and easily remove and file email attachments. So if managing your email inbox is a much-reviled daily chore, you definitely need to check out this tool.
- Control your email with SimplyFile
Last but not least, there’s SimplyFile, a tool that allows you to file emails in the correct folder with one click. There’s no need to drag and drop—it’s a one-stop shop for the tedious task of email filing. Another benefit is that it helps to increase your efficiency by allowing you to turn emails into tasks and appointments. Interested in saving even more time? You can find additional useful Outlook add-ins here.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, a law practice management software company. She is the nationally-recognized author of “Cloud Computing for Lawyers” (2012) and co-authors “Social Media For Lawyers: The Next Frontier” (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors “Criminal Law in New York,” a Thomson West treatise. She writes a weekly column for The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law, mobile computing and Internet-based technology.
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