This is one of the first small inconveniences that every first-year law student faces: creating the § in a Word document. There are ways to learn this skill, such as copying and pasting the section icon from elsewhere or writing the word « section ». However, for legal drafting purposes, it is probably better to know how to apply § in N.C. Gen. Stat. §7A-13 without resorting to a workaround. The UNC Law Library decided it was time to update one of our most popular articles in Carolina Blawg`s history: How to Create the Section Icon in Word. Memorizing alternative codes for legal symbols can be difficult. It is also tedious to enter such long abbreviations over and over again. If you`re designing a document, the last thing you want to do is browse the menus to find an icon. It will surely take you out of your stream and make you lose your train of thought.

As mentioned earlier, I used to copy and paste icons from Google or other documents. The problem with this is that you are not only copying the icon, but also the formatting associated with it. There are a lot of standardized elements that go into legal documents. Although you will learn how to type legal symbols effectively, you will save time, you can also use the AutoText feature of Microsoft Word. Among the legal symbols listed, the only one with a standard iPhone shortcut is the section icon. Long press the & symbol and you will have the option to enter a § in its place. This list of allowed keyboard jumps may not contain icons that your industry, jurisdiction, or judge prefers. You may not want to learn the alternative keyboard shortcuts and use something memorable instead. You can always create more by customizing your keyboard shortcuts.

Keyboard shortcuts are a combination of keys that insert a special character or trigger a special action in a computer program. Inserting special symbols without a keyboard shortcut requires a lot of extra clicks, which is tedious and time-consuming. For example, if you need to include the section icon in a short description, you can do the following in Word: Another way to create the « section » symbol (§), regardless of the word processor you use, is listed here: In addition to icons, legal keyboards also have keys assigned to common words you use when composing documents. like the defendants. 3. Paste the symbol into the Phrase field and the link you want to use into the Link field. In this article, we`ll show you how to enter legal symbols into your documents, create your own shortcuts, and share alternatives across devices. Many lawyers try to save time by copying an icon from another document or earlier in the document. The problem with copying and pasting a symbol is that you can also paste the formatting settings.

A symbol copied from a header or bulleted list carries some of this formatting code when pasted elsewhere. Also, an inserted symbol can break an entire paragraph by changing the font, style, etc. Fixing all of this is another interruption that distracts you from finishing your design. A keyboard shortcut preserves the formatting of the document. The following is an example of using the Customize Keyboard feature in Microsoft Word to create a keyboard shortcut for ‡ (a double-dagger symbol used in some types of documents to refer to notes). For all other symbols, you must manually create keyboard shortcuts. Does it sound like a lot of steps to follow every time you need to insert the section icon? Mac and Windows computers already have built-in keyboard shortcuts. But the way you trigger them is different. In Windows, hold down the Alt key, and then enter the sequence of numbers listed in the table above.

For the section icon on a Windows computer, hold down the Alt key. Next, enter the numbers « 0167 » and release the Alt key. This would create the section icon (§) in your text. While Windows alt keyboard shortcuts are huge, only a few icons are needed to create legal documents. Mac has simpler keyboard shortcuts for these icons. If you don`t want to remember a lot of Windows or Mac shortcuts, you can also set up your own or hack Word`s AutoCorrect feature to enter symbols in just a few steps. Read below or watch the how-to video. Need to create a document on the go? If so, you`ll be happy to know that you can create legal symbols on your mobile device. Now enter your legal symbol letters, press the spacebar and AutoCorrect will paste the symbol into your Word document. Keyboard shortcuts are not reserved for word processors. Clio has a built-in text extension that can convert shortcodes into full sentences. This function can convert text snippets such as « oh » and extend them to « participate in court hearings ».

This feature is especially useful for creating robust and descriptive time entries for your clients without having to do any extra work. You can create an unlimited number of text snippets in your Clio account. You can also expand text snippets in notes, task fields, calendar fields, time and expense entries, and more. The iPhone only included the § icon as a keyboard shortcut. Press and hold the & symbol to get an option to insert a §. iPhone owners can easily add a keyboard shortcut using the iPhone text replacement feature.