February 12, 2007
How to automatically update "See page ____" cross-references in your briefs and memos
Continuing readers of legal blogs such as this one probably know how to create cross-references in their briefs and memos. With that knowledge, they don't have to manually update their cross-references when they add or delete pages in their briefs and memos, thus changing the cross-referenced pages. Therefore, for most of you, the following is a time-saving posting for you to share with your fellow attorneys and their secretaries:
How many times have you written a brief and you're on page 10 and you want to refer to something above that's on page 5. So, you write “See page 5, supra.” But later you put some new material before page 5, and page 5 becomes page 7. Now your reference is no longer accurate. Then, unless you forget, you manually change 5 to 7. However, that can be tedious if you have four or five or more cross-references. And, even if you only have one, you might forget to make the change.
There's a way in both WordPerfect and Microsoft Word to make your life easier. It's called “cross-referencing.” It's a little complicated at first, but once you or your secretary learn the technique, it's easy.
Essentially, for instance in WordPerfect 8 (other versions of WordPerfect may be somewhat different), click consecutively on Tools, then Reference, and then Cross-Reference. Reference Type is almost always “Page.” Give the reference a name in the “Select Target” box (for instance “negligence”), and press “Mark Reference” – and that's now the “reference.” Then, go to the location you are referring to, such as page 5, and press “Mark Target” using the identical name you used when you named the reference. You now have marked both the Target and the Reference. Now, you can press "Generate" and, shazam, the “See p. ___” on page 10 now refers to page 5. If you add pages in front of page 5 and page 5 becomes page 8 (or becomes page 4 because you deleted material), all you need to do is “re-generate” the reference (Tools, Reference, Cross-Reference, and Generate), and page 10 now refers to page 8 – or page 4 – or whatever.
For instructions in WordPerfect itself on how to do the cross-referencing, you can go to "Help" in the toolbar at the top of the page, then click on “Ask the Perfect Expert,” then enter “cross-reference” (without the quotes), and follow the instructions. (Again, there may be variations in finding the instructions, depending on which version of WordPerfect you are using.)
Smart Computing magazine, which has very practical articles “In Plain English,” as it says, has an article on WordPerfect version 6.1's cross-references at www.smartcomputing.com/support/links.asp?id=892and one on cross-referencing on WordPerfect's version 10 at www.smartcomputing.com/support/links.asp?id=890. Again, although your version of WordPerfect may be different, the techniques and the principles of marking and generating will probably be similar. (The links to these articles will be open only until April 5, 2007. You can also search Smart Computing for these and other computer articles with a free Smart Computing trial subscription.)
Microsoft Word also permits cross-referencing, although the technique is different. There is a detailed article on Word 2003-2004 at www.uwec.edu/help/word03/AUTO-pageref.htm (No time limit is imposed for that article.)
3/5/2007
The same technique can be used if you want to cross reference to footnote numbers and counters that you create. Instead of selecting page in Cross Reference, just select Footnote number (or counter or "Paragraph/Outline").
In addition, you can automatically increment Exhibit numbers so that you can move the exhibits around or delete or add exhibits and have the numbers automatically change to the correct new number. To learn about that tool, in WordPerfect 8 (other programs and versions may be slightly different), go to Help and, in the Index tab, type list, numbered. You'll see detailed instruction on how to use the time-saving technique.