Three Underutilized Text Editing Features in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a powerful tool with many features that never get fully utilized. The Harris County Law Library Legal Tech Institute offers a class called MS Word for Legal Work as part of our Hands-on Legal Tech Training Series. Please consult our online schedule to register for the next session of this class, which will be presented on Thursday, August 29, at 2:00 pm the Law Library’s Legal Tech Lab. As a preview of the types of features we demonstrate in the course, read on!

Paste Special

Use the Paste Special feature to Keep Source Formatting, Merge Formatting, or Keep Text Only.

Once you’ve copied a selection of text, you can simply type CTRL+V on you keyboard to paste it into your document. You can also click the Paste button in the Clipboard sub-ribbon, located on the Home tab. However, if your selected text is specially formatted and you wish to either retain that formatting in your pasted text or strip that formatting from your copied text, you can also use the Paste Special feature. This feature gives you the option to either Keep Source Formatting, Merge Formatting, or Keep Text Only.

Format Painter

The Format Painter allows you to easily copy the formatting features of one text selection onto another text selection. For example, the formatting characteristics of a section may display the text as 12 point Times New Roman font with bold, blue, italicized lettering. If you wish to apply these formatting characteristics to another section heading within your document, simply place your cursor in the source text, click on the Format Painter button on the Clipboard sub-ribbon, located on the Home tab. Your cursor will become a small paintbrush which you can them use to “paint” over the destination text, simply by highlighting it. The formatting features of the two section headings will now be identical.

Clear All Formatting

The Clear All Formatting button, which is located on the Font sub-ribbon of the Home tab, acts as a text eraser, so perhaps that same 12 point Times New Roman font with bold, blue, italicized lettering needs to be stripped of all its embellishments. By simply placing your cursor within the text and clicking the Clear All Formatting button, you can return the selected text to its basic, plain, default format. It’s a quick and easy way to restore simplicity to your document and save you the trouble of manually changing each feature individually.

Latest & Greatest – Texas Discovery: A Guide to Taking and Resisting Discovery under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure

By Robert K. Wise and Kennon L. Wooten

Published by Texas Lawyer, an ALM Publication

KFT 1737 .W57 2019

Photo Credit: Helen Hartman

Recognizing that discovery is typically the most costly aspect of civil litigation, the authors set out drafting a comprehensive guide to Texas discovery for practitioners. The result was Texas Discovery: A Guide to Taking and Resisting Discovery under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Each chapter of the book is tied to a particular discovery rule and includes the text of the rule and any applicable notes and comments, a general explanation of the rule, and any related procedural information. The authors focus on Rule 190 through Rule 205 as well as sanctions under Rule 215. They cover everything from the purpose of discovery and discovery control plans to requests for disclosure, production, and admission to interrogatories and depositions with a bit of expert discovery and physical and mental examinations thrown in as well. There are plenty of bibliographic references and a table of cases pointing the reader toward more authority and elucidation.

The next time you find yourself in the discovery phase of a civil case, have a look at Texas Discovery: A Guide to Taking and Resisting Discovery under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. It may help you navigate the twisted maze that is Texas discovery.

Recursos en Español (Spanish Language Resources)

The Law Library is pleased to announce a new collection — Recursos en Español. This collection of booklets, pamphlets, and brochures brings together information from our community partners about services that are available to Spanish speakers in Harris County. The materials, which are published in Spanish, are collected in one location near the Copy Center, and are free to all! Pamphlets covering family law matters, such as custody, parenting, adoption and mediation, as well as a selection of pamphlets from the State Bar of Texas on choosing a lawyer, writing a will, and much more are available. Additionally, information is provided by Texas Young Lawyers Association, the Office of Domestic Relations, the Federal Trade Commission, the Texas Attorney General, AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence), and other legal aid organizations. TexasLawHelp.org provides bilingual forms for divorce and annulment. Finally, a publication from the Law Library titled Manual para Litigantes Pro Se connects Spanish-speaking patrons with even more local community services. Spanish language translation services are available from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday. Library staff can answer reference questions in Spanish and help patrons find the information and resources they need.

La Biblioteca Jurídica se complace en anunciar una nueva colección: Recursos en español. Esta colección de folletos reúne información de nuestros socios comunitarios sobre los servicios que están disponibles para los hispanohablantes en el Condado de Harris. Los materiales que se publican en español se pueden conseguir cerca del Centro de Copias, ¡y son gratuitos para todos! Encontrará folletos que cubren asuntos de derecho de familia, como custodia, la crianza, la adopción, y mediación. Así también, hay una selección de folletos de la Barra Estatal de Texas sobre como seleccionar un abogado, como hacer un testamento, y muchos más. Asimismo, encontrará información provista por la Asociación de Abogado Jóvenes de Texas, la Oficina de Relaciones Domesticas, la Comisión Federal de Comercio, el Fiscal General de Texas, AVDA (Ayuda a víctimas de violencia domestica) y otras organizaciones de asistencia legal. TexasLawHelp.org ofrece formularios bilingües de divorcio y anulación. Por último, una publicación de la Biblioteca Jurídica titulada Manual para Litigantes Pro Se enumera las organizaciones que provee servicios comunitarios locales a los hispanohablantes. Servicios de traducción en español están disponibles de lunes a viernes de 8am a 5pm. El personal de la biblioteca puede responder a preguntas de referencia en español y ayudar a usuarios a encontrar la información y los recursos que necesitan.

LTI CLE: Legal Tech is Not Optional

The Harris County Law Library’s Legal Tech Institute is pleased to announce a special visitor, D. Casey Flaherty, a recognized leader in legal tech innovation and the creator of the Procertas legal tech audit. Please join us on Monday, August 19 and 11:00 am for a CLE presentation called Legal Tech is not optional. Mr. Flaherty will share his insights about using technology in the practice of law and will highlight how the Procertas Legal Tech Assessment, which is available to all for free at the Harris County Law Library, can help attorneys work toward legal tech competence. Texas attorneys will earn one hour of CLE credit and .5 hours of ethics credit for attending. Join us!

Latest & Greatest – Homeland Security and Emergency Management: A Legal Guide for State and Local Governments

Edited by Ernest B. Abbott and Otto J. Hetzel

Published by American Bar Association. Section of State and Local Government Law

KF 4850 .L44 2018

Photo Credit: Helen Hartman

Hurricane season is the perfect time to discuss emergency management and preparedness, although here on the Gulf Coast, one should be prepared no matter the season. When a disaster strikes, there is no time to consider or contemplate; many decisions and responses must be immediate. Attorneys Ernest B. Abbott and Otto J. Hetzel have compiled a book, Homeland Security and Emergency Management: A Legal Guide for State and Local Governments, to assist state and local governments and the lawyers that advise them in keeping the public safe, mitigating any damages, and formulating and implementing a recovery plan. 

The first part addresses the source of legal authority in emergency and catastrophic events, the role of the military and the National Guard, the National Response Framework issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security and supported by the National Incident Management System, and public disclosure of information. A discussion of hazard mitigation makes up the bulk of the second part of the book. It also includes a primer on the National Flood Insurance Program. Cybersecurity, public health emergencies, and immigration issues are at the heart of Part III, as these topics have gained greater significance over time. The last section focuses on response and recovery, including legal issues associated with emergency management when dealing with vulnerable populations, such as the disabled and elderly. Another topic of interest in this last section is managing emergency evacuations. 

It is said that “hindsight is 20/20,” so why not focus on having the foresight to handle a disaster before it happens? Before the next disaster strikes, have a look at Homeland Security and Emergency Management: A Legal Guide for State and Local Governments.