As a long-time user of Word in a legal environment, I have purchased every edition of this book from _Word 97 for Law Firms_ onward. I am pleased to report that this book sustains the high quality that so interested me in the first version. New, and particularly noteworthy, was an expanded section containing a point-by-point list of new features of Word, and improved old features of Word (although I disagree with a few characterizations). The text as a whole, however, does not assume that you used previous versions of Word, so novices need not fear. The take-away message from this review is that if you use Word XP in a law firm, you must have this book.
Another new feature, and unique to computer books AFAIK, is a chapter on "Document Forensics." It's handy to have curative suggestions collectedin a single chapter.
My chief quibble--I can't even call it a complaint--is that the book appears to have a slight orientation toward users who are word processors in high-budget big firm environments. I would like to see a little more thought devoted to the needs of the sole practitioner attorney producing her own documents without staff.
For example, when discussing the Pleading Wizard, the text dismissively says, "Most law firms choose to skip the Pleading Wizard and deploy a third-party solution." Excuse me? Perhaps most big law firms do, but if so, why? A discussion of the technical problems, and how to circumvent them if you don't want to go third-party after shelling out a lot of money on Office XP, would be in order. I have never seen a technical discussion of how to alter the pleading paper created by the Pleading Wizard, and I can't be the only person who doesn't like the standard options.
I also think that the book is a bit thin on its discussion of VBA and of using Word in document assembly with information supplied from a database. Perhaps these topics are considered too advanced for this book's target audience, in which case may I beg the excellent authors to consider a companion volume to this work.
Product Description
Microsoft Word is used in law firms for legal briefs, templates, pleadings, and much more! Today many law firms have migrated from WordPerfect to Word. Everything changes in this new release of Word so law firms will need a guide to stay current as this product advances. That is why every law office needs Word X for Law Firms! This book is geared toward the beginning to intermediate users, but even the most experienced Word users will need instruction as the product has changed so much. ItemID: 076153394x
About the Author
Payne Consulting Group provides expert training and development services and specializes in migrating law firms to Microsoft Office applications. The firm is a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider, and Donna Payne was a member of the Microsoft Legal Advisory Counsel.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Microsoft Word 2002 for Law Firms w/CD (Miscellaneous) (Paperback)
No comments:
Post a Comment