Resizing Objects in Word

There's a nice little trick you can use in Word 2016 when you're re-sizing multiple objects.

1. Right click on an object and click on the Layout Options box, and then click 'See more'.

2. The Layout dialog box will open. Press the 'Size' tab.

3. Set the desired height and width of the object, and then click OK.

4. Now when you select the next shape (no matter if it's the same type of shape as the first one), and press F4, the next shape and any others you select in succession will be re-sized to the same dimensions. You can shift select multiple objects and apply the F4 command automatically to them all.

Ravel Law

If your firm has an account for Ravel Law, you can use the Judge Analytics option to check how judges have ruled on specific motions filed in a specific types of cases. In the screen grab below we see how Judge Scheindlin has ruled on motions to dismiss filed in securities cases. A judge's decisions can then be filtered by other fields including keywords, the dates of decisions, and statutes.

Clicking on the 'Insights' tab will bring up a bar graph showing the number of opinions that the Judge has cited most frequently in the decisions in the filtered results, helping the attorney understanding the bases for her holdings.

Embedding Excel Cells in Word

An attorney preparing a memo, may find it helpful to include data from spreadsheets tracking more complex numbers. Setting this up is quite easy. If you select & copy a cell with a SUM or other formula in Excel, it's possible to paste the active value into a Word document. In Word 2016, just right click and choose the option to 'Link & Merge Formatting'. A gray field will be added to your Word document ( directly in a Table cell if you like). With the 2016 versions of Word and Excel, any edits in the spreadsheet will show up immediately in the Word document.