Exasperated, I finally forbade one of my first year law students from using any commas in a writing assignment. We’d gone down the road of attempting restraint. Reviewed the comma rules. But she just couldn’t help herself, it was as if every time she paused on the keyboard, her finger reached out and jabbed a …
Free Adobe Webinars and Tutorials
For last Friday’s Off the Clock we participated in an Adobe webinar concerning Acrobat 9 for Legal Professionals. There are a few more free Acrobat webinars coming up in January and February. You can sign up and watch from your home or office. Many legal professionals use Adobe Acrobat or Professional to maintain a paperless office …
Read Aloud
I’ve heard attorneys disparaged: “He just likes listening to himself talk.” Good, that means you will proofread well. Today’s two minute tip takes two seconds to explain and a little longer to implement. But it is essential. Here it is: Good proofreaders read their drafts aloud. Reading aloud tells you what is there and what is …
Using Print Preview
My post-holiday wrapping and unwrapping haze has me trying to conserve paper. As a transplanted California native, my eco-friendliness runs deep, which brings with it a heavy dose of self-inflicted guilt about wasting paper. Hence this week’s two-minute tech tip: Use print preview to save paper and make sure you’re printing what you want. You …
Reading for Repetition
We’re taking you one baby step past our first tip to proofread without reading. Now, try proofreading by only reading the very first word and letter of each sentence and paragraph. What are you looking for? Repetition. If you notice that your sentences often begin with “The,” for example, rewriting a few of them will …
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