You will become quite familiar with symbols in legal writing.  In addition to adding words like “silcrow” to your vocabulary, you’ll learn other quirks to legal writing.  To set up Word to work for your new legal writing, make the following adjustments.

Students with Mac Computers:

Customize Silcros and Pilcros

  • Open Word
  • Click Insert
  • Click Advanced Symbol
  • Click the Special Characters tab
  • Highlight the Section Symbol
  • Press Keyboard Shortcut
  • Press Control and S keys at the same time
  • Click Assign
  • Assign the Paragraph Symbol (¶) with Control and P
  • Close all windows when you’re done

Customize AutoCorrect Features:

  • Click Word
  • Click Preferences
  • Click Autocorrect
  • Click AutoFormat as You Type
  • UNCHECK Ordinals with superscript
  • UNCHECK Fractions with fraction character

Setup Auto Backup in Word:

  • Click Word
  • Click Preferences
  • Click Save
  • Ensure Save AutoRecover info every box is checked – change time for every TWO (2) minutes
  • Ensure Always create a Backup Copy is checked

Students running Windows:

Customize Keystrokes

  • Open Word
  • Click Insert
  • Click the drop down arrow under Symbol
  • Click More Symbols
  • Click the Special Characters tab
  • Click the Section Symbol
  • Click the Shortcut Key button
  • Press the Alt and S keys at the same time
  • Click Assign
  • Click Close
  • Assign the Paragraph symbol (¶) with Alt plus P
  • Close the window when done

Customize AutoCorrect Features:

  • Click File
  • Click Options
  • Click Proofing
  • Click Autocorrect Options
  • Click AutoFormat as You Go
  • UNCHECK Ordinals with superscript
  • UNCHECK Fractions with fraction character
  • Click OK
  • Click OK

Setup Auto Backup in Word:

  • Click File
  • Click Options
  • Click Save
  • Ensure Save AutoRecover Information every is checked – change time to TWO (2) minutes
  • Ensure Keep the last AutoSaved version if I close without saving box is checked
Silcrows and Pilcrows and Ordinals OH MY! and Other Mysteries of Microsoft Word

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