To fix the problem, you must start by determining the existing line spacing for the pleading line numbers in your document. (I often call this figure “pleading double spacing” to differentiate it from true double spacing.) Thus, applying true double spacing usually results in text that is “taller” than the pleading line numbers.Ĭhanging the Line Spacing in the Document to Match That of the Line Numbers ) By contrast, the Pleading Wizard compresses the area where the line numbers appear, resulting in line spacing (i.e., line height) for the line numbers that is significantly smaller / more compressed vertically - typically 22.75 points. (A “point” is a unit of measurement that refers to the height of characters. Thus, if your body text font is Times New Roman set at 12 points, double-spaced lines actually are spaced about 27.6 to 28.8 points apart. That is because of an aspect of typography called “leading” (rhymes with “sledding”), which refers to the vertical distance between lines of type – often adjusted to improve readability.Īs a result of leading, true double spacing varies between 220% and 270% of the size (height) of your chosen font, and true single spacing varies between 110% and 135% of the size (height) of that font. People often attempt to fix the problem by applying true double and single spacing to the document text. Why Applying True Double-Spacing Doesn’t Work Because of the way the Wizard stretched the line numbers to make them equidistant and to fit them within the space allocated for text - assuming a 1″ top margin, a 1″ bottom margin, and a 12-point font - the line spacing of the line numbers ended up being a fraction of true double-spacing. The problem usually occurs in documents that are based on a pleading template originally generated by Word’s “Pleading Wizard” (a deprecated / retired feature that was available in versions of the program prior to Word 2007). One of the most common questions I hear from training clients and others in the legal profession has to do with text that is out of alignment with the line numbers in pleading paper. Aligning text with pleading line numbers in Word (substantially rewritten)

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