How to Write Legal Briefs With Openoffice.Org

For lawyers, using templates is important., Templates can also prevent major mistakes., If you use a template, you can use a "*" or some other indicator to tell yourself case-specific information must be added there., To create a template, you...

12 Steps 1 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: For lawyers

    Because templates can save text, styles, and formatting, it can save a lot of time.

    Note that templates have the "ott" file extension which is different from normal open office files, which end in "odt".
  2. Step 2: using templates is important.

    For example, when many lawyers write a brief, they will typically cut and past the caption and other formatting elements into a new document.

    Then they will change the case names, numbers, etc.

    This is dangerous.

    There will always be a risk, no matter how careful you are, that you will forget to change something from the previous brief. , You will never accidentally leave things from a previous brief that was pasted in. , At the end, you save the document as a template rather than a document.

    I will go through the process step-by-step.

    But be aware that the template will include the following: , You will want to have three of these because you want a different page numbering system for each.

    For example, create a different page style for the cover page, index pages, and body. , You will want to create separate paragraph styles for the cover page, index pages, body, addresses (in proof of service), headings, the table of contents/authorities, and footnotes.
  3. Step 3: Templates can also prevent major mistakes.

  4. Step 4: If you use a template

  5. Step 5: you can use a "*" or some other indicator to tell yourself case-specific information must be added there.

  6. Step 6: To create a template

  7. Step 7: you simply create a bare-bones brief

  8. Step 8: creating new styles as you go along.

  9. Step 9: Page Styles - The page style saves major elements like margins and headers.

  10. Step 10: Paragraph Styles - The paragraph style saves things like font

  11. Step 11: spacing

  12. Step 12: indents.

Detailed Guide

Because templates can save text, styles, and formatting, it can save a lot of time.

Note that templates have the "ott" file extension which is different from normal open office files, which end in "odt".

For example, when many lawyers write a brief, they will typically cut and past the caption and other formatting elements into a new document.

Then they will change the case names, numbers, etc.

This is dangerous.

There will always be a risk, no matter how careful you are, that you will forget to change something from the previous brief. , You will never accidentally leave things from a previous brief that was pasted in. , At the end, you save the document as a template rather than a document.

I will go through the process step-by-step.

But be aware that the template will include the following: , You will want to have three of these because you want a different page numbering system for each.

For example, create a different page style for the cover page, index pages, and body. , You will want to create separate paragraph styles for the cover page, index pages, body, addresses (in proof of service), headings, the table of contents/authorities, and footnotes.

About the Author

K

Kathryn Coleman

Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.

52 articles
View all articles

Rate This Guide

--
Loading...
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: