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Tech for Lawyering Competencies: Research & Writing: MS Word for Lawyers: Document Templates

Covers technology that assists with note-taking and writing

Overview

A template is a model word document formatted for a particular finished document (i.e. Motion, Lease, Resume). Templates may contain AutoText entries, fonts, macros, menus, page layouts, and special formatting and styles. When working with templates you are using a copy so that the master file cannot be altered. Templates are useful to save time, enable consistency, and increase accuracy.

Working with Templates

Normal Templates

The "Normal Template" is the default when you open a new Word document. It can be customized like any template. 

Using Templates

There are may pre-made templates which may be of use to you. When MS Office 365 Word starts the screen below can be seen. It is asking which template you want to use when opening a new document. There are a few pre-made ones at your disposal. You may also conduct a search for online templates. Try one for "Legal".

Below we see an example of a pleading with 28 lines: