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Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ Category

If, like me, you are tearing your hair out because Word 2007 keeps adding an extra line after every paragraph (or hard return) when you just want a single line, there’s a permanent fix.  It’s not hard to see that you can click on the “line spacing” button on the Ribbon to change the “Remove space before paragraph” option. This will stop Word from adding the extra line for that document only, though.

There are a couple of ways to turn off the extra space permanently. One is to edit the Normal.dot template. About.com has easy step-by-step instructions to do this. I’ve tried it and it works.

Or, you can go to the “source” – Microsoft – which has a different solution. Roll back your Word version to 2003.  Yes, to fix the line spacing and paragraph spacing in Word 2007 so that it is the same as in earlier versions of Word, you have to change the Style Set option. Here’s how:

1. Click the Home tab.
2. Click Change Styles in the Styles group, point to Style Set, and then click the style set that you want to use.To change the default formatting of your document, such as the line spacing and paragraph spacing, to the default formatting that is used in earlier versions of Word, click Word 2003.
3. To set the style set as the default style set in Word 2007, click Change Styles in the Styles group, and then click Set as Default.
4. Sigh with relief.

This blog uses WordPress, but since I wanted to create my own theme instead of using someone else’s, I needed a theme editor. (My choice was to either find a wysiwyg editor or learn CSS, which I didn’t have time for.) Luckily, I found  Artisteer 2 which is $49.95 for home and academic use and $129.95 standard edition. There is a free trial version and I urge you to try it first before you purchase it, since there’s no refund.

Artisteer not only generates WordPress themes, it can generate Joomla templates, Drupal themes, DotNetNuke skins, and Blogger templates. Artisteer software has a clean interface (it actually reminded me of Word 2007) and it was simple to choose one of their blog themes and then edit it extensively to get pretty much the look I wanted. I was able to add different fonts, although it includes dozens. Artisteer can customize almost everything in the themes by color, font, size and more. One drawback: it comes with a limited amount of clipart images for use in the header, but you can also use your own.

Artisteer is a fairly inexpensive option when compared to other products out there, like Dreamweaver ($399 for new users) or Adobe Contribute CS4 at around $199 for a new license. If you already own Dreamweaver, you can download a free extension called ThemeDreamer, which allows WYSIWYG editing of WordPress. There are also other WYSIWIG editors, such as Microsoft SharePoint Designer.

The long awaited new Windows operating system, Windows 7, will be released to retail stores and PC makers October 22, 2009 – a mere six weeks from now. Many Vista users are eagerly anticipating what some have called “Vista Fixed.”

Many XP users (and there are a lot of us) have been waiting for anything but Vista to come along.  So, how will you know if you should make the move? I began by reading 10 things you should know about moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 on TechRepublic.  Among other important things, it spells out how XP users will have to do a clean install of Win7, or else install it in a separate partition on their harddrive.  A “clean” installation will replace your current operating system. The only thing left of XP will be in a folder that Microsoft creates called “Windows old.”  Your applications (your software programs) will not be viable! The good news is that Windows 7 reportedly is not a huge resource hog, so if your XP computer is three years old or less, it probably will be able to run Windows 7.

Vista users will fare better – they will be able to migrate from Vista to Win7 with settings and files intact. For either Vista users or XP users, I recommend reading Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration on Microsoft TechNet. Good luck!

Have you been wondering how to use Adobe Acrobat to complete forms? Many forms are available on government websites for lawyers and the public. What do you do if you find a PDF form you want to use, but the author didn’t enable the right to fill out the blanks using Adobe Reader? First, save it to your computer. Then, open the saved PDF file using the full version of Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional (essential software for all law offices). Go to the file menu across the top and select tools/ typewriter and enable the typewriter tool by clicking on the typewriter symbol. Your curser will change appearance and look like an “A”. Hover over the line you wish to fill in, click once and start typing. Each time you type, you will need to click the typewriter symbol again. For more Adobe tips, see the Acrobat for Legal Professionals blog .

Fellow Practice Management Advisor, Linda Oligschlaeger,  of the Missouri Bar, recently published 15 Recession-Response Tips for Small Firm Lawyers in the ABA Law Practice magazine. These tips are now available online.

#6 is “Look at the resources offered by your bar association.” The SC Bar was one of the first nationwide to launch a web resource for lawyers dealing with a down economy. If you haven’t already, visit the Career Counsel pages.