Legally Large Tip of the Week
Weekly newsletter from Legally Large about practical, efficient and effective ways to do your legal job better.

• May 2007, Week 3
  
  
  Merging Excel Data Source Into Word
  
  For Staff...
  
  
  
  Getting the formatting right when you use an Excel data source for mail merge can be extremely frustrating. There are ways to correct the formatting by using switches in the field codes, but it can be a time-consuming and frustrating exercise. Fortunately, there is an easy way to circumvent the use of switches and still have your data appear as you would like it.
  
  
  
  1. With the main document open, click the Tools menu
  
  2. Select Options.
  
  3. On the General tab, select Confirm Conversion at Open
  
  4. Click OK
  
  
  
  When you select an alternate data source such as Excel, it will ask you to choose the type of data source.
  
  
  
  When presented with the choice, select MS Excel Files via DDE.
  
  
  
  When you merge the document with the data source, the formatting from the Excel data source will be retained.
  
  
  
  
  

  Ethics: Which Half Are You In?
  
  For Administrators...

  
  

  In the past several years, many law firms and paralegal associations alike have come to the realization that all employees in a law firm setting are in need of ethics training just like the attorneys that work for them.
  
  
  
  But ethics training has been slow in coming and not all law firms or in-house legal departments have recognized the need.
  
  
  
  A commentary in Law.com by Cindy Lopez, an experienced paralegal, surprised us. "For all the talk of the need to prevent ethics transgressions in the legal profession, a glaring education gap exists for one group: paralegals.
  
  
  
  "In a poll taken on Jan. 3 by NJParalegal (New Jersey), members were asked: Have you ever received training or instruction by your attorney-employer on how to handle ethical issues, specifically, maintaining attorney-client relationships and the confidentiality of your clients? Approximately 50% said they had no ethics training whatsoever."(80 paralegals surveyed.)
  
  
  
  Lack of ethics training can cost a firm big bucks, serious lawsuits and other problems. If you aren't getting the training you need, we have several options:
  
  
  
  1. Online legal ethics training;
  
  2. A live webcast on June 7; and
  
  3. Live training at your firm or association.

  
  

  
  
  Seven Deadly Sins of Leadership
  
  For Attorneys...

  
  2. Approaching selection and hiring in a haphazard manner. Best case scenario -- 14 percent of the time you will get a good employee. Worst case scenario -- most of the time you will get a less-than-stellar worker and worse, you might get sued. Good hiring practices at all levels improve overall performance and help deter lawsuits. Rigorous interviews and background checks can help employers form an accurate picture of past behavior, but pre-employment assessment of a potential employee's overall job fit (thinking style, behaviors and interests) is a better predictor of future behavior.
  
  
  
  Reprinted with permission from The Payton Company.
  
  
  
  To be continued in the following weeks....
  
  
  

   

• May 2007, Week 1
  
  
  Someone Sent Me a Microsoft 2007 File. What Do I Do?
  
  For Staff...
  
  
  
  Microsoft Office 2007 has been released and is already on a lot of computer desktops. If you haven't received one already, it's just a matter of time before you receive documents written in Word 2007, spreadsheets charted in Excel 2007 or presentations prepared with PowerPoint 2007. Is your Microsoft Office version ready to handle this?
  
  
  
  A new version of Microsoft Office means new file formats and file extensions - therefore documents written with Office 2007 programs won't open directly on computers running Office 2003, XP, 2000 or Office 97.
  
  
  
  What's the alternative for users who won't immediately migrate to Office 2007? Well, there's absolutely no reason to worry about such issues. Microsoft has created some useful document converters, viewers and other useful add-ons.
  
  
  
  Get the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats. The Compatibility Pack will let you read Office 2007 documents in Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003. So you can open a .docx file with Word 2003 or .pptx with PowerPoint 2003.
  
  
  
  Download Office 2007 Compatibility Pack
  
  
  
  
  

  Legal Technology Resource Guide
  
  For Administrators...

  
  

  If you know you need to upgrade or purchase technology for your firm, but aren't sure where to find what you need -- or even figure out WHAT you need, go to Legal Technology Resource Guide.
  
  
  
  
  
  Is Your Back-Up Backing Up?
  
  For Attorneys...

  
  We've been preaching about backing up your computer system on a regular basis. However... are you checking to ensure that your back-ups are current?