Update Exhibit Numbering in MS Word Automatically

Getting the numbering (or lettering) of exhibits in a brief can be maddening. Whether you have a brief referencing numerous exhibits, or are working with an attorney that decides to add and/or remove exhibits shortly before the filing deadline, putting the numbering or lettering in order and avoiding gaps can be a time consuming and frustrating experience. MS Word can automate the process by entering codes to keep track of the sequence of exhibits and account for insertions or deletions.

In MS Word 2016, follow these steps:

1. On the Reference tab, click on 'Insert Caption'.

2. In the dialog box which appears click on 'New Label' and add 'Exhibit', 'Ex.', 'Exh.' as necessary.

3. Click on 'Numbering' where you can choose either standard numbering; Roman numerals, or Latin letters.

4. If you have trouble getting the exhibit references to use the same font as the rest of the document, open up Styles (press CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + S) and right click on 'Caption' to modify the font.

5. Word will enter SEQ codes in the document.

6. If you press ALT + F9, the code references will be swapped with the actual exhibit references.

7. After removing an exhibit reference, update the SEQ codes by selecting all of the text in the document, right clicking, and hitting 'Update Field'

8. The exhibit references update automatically.