Third, using Styles enables you to create a Table of Contents in seconds. The entries in the outline are click-able, allowing you to move around easily in a large document-like a 40-page brief or a 60-page contract. It appears on the left and displays an outline, pulling the entries from your Styles Headings.

In the Show section, check the box for Navigation Pane. Second, with Styles for headings, you can use the Navigation Pane. Instead, modify the Heading 1 Style from bold italics to bold, and the format changes occur automatically. To change all your first-level headings from bold italics to bold, you donвЂ™t find and re-format each one. For a block quotation, instead of indenting left and right and converting to single spacing, just type (or paste in) the text and click the Style for Block Quotation. Naturally, youвЂ™re aiming for consistency already, but Styles make consistency easier. All your headings at the same level will look the same, all your lists will look the same, all your block quotations will look the same, and so on. To apply a Style to any piece of text, select the text, or place your cursor in the text, and choose the appropriate Style.ДЇirst, youвЂ™ll get consistent formatting. Once youвЂ™ve made your Style choices, create your document by typing and, as you go or during revision, apply your Styles. To keep these new Styles, click the button for вЂњNew documents based on this template.вЂќ For the Heading Styles, do the same but apply boldface or italics. Tell it to automatically indent one tab for each new paragraph. So right click on the Style you want to change, choose вЂњModify,вЂќ and set it up the way you want: choose a font, click Format then Paragraph and set the line spacing (double, single), and then set the paragraph spacing (probably zero). Some of the default Heading Styles use colored fonts-also not right for legal writing. For example, the default Normal Style (for body text) uses Calibri, a sans serif font thatвЂ™s probably not right for most legal documents. YouвЂ™ll need to change WordвЂ™s default Styles. Schorr, The LawyerвЂ™s Guide to Microsoft Word (2015) Yes, thereвЂ™s a learning curve, but youвЂ™ll save time and reduce frustration if you master Styles. If you spend a lot of time creating Word documents, I encourage you to learn more about Styles. On a PC, you can find Styles in a large section at the Home tab. Styles allow you to set font, line spacing, paragraph spacing, automatic tabbing, and other features and then apply those pre-set formats to any document. There are existing Styles for body text (Normal) and headings (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.), and you can create other types for block quotations, bullet lists, and more. Styles in Microsoft Word are pre-set formats you can apply to parts of your document. My books: Legal Writing Nerd: Be One, Plain Legal Writing: Do It.

The heading styles in word are