News Post

Just as we use macros in word processing programs to save keystrokes, Outlook has a feature called signatures which will allow you to save and insert repetitive wording in emails. An email signature can be anything from your name, address, phone number, and website link or a confidentiality notice, which are automatically included at the end of every new email you send, to complete messages that you find yourself sending out over and over.

I frequently receive email messages from members of the public needing either legal representation or wanting to complain about the actions of a lawyer. I have created messages directing the recipient to either the Lawyer Referral Service or the Office of General Counsel. Whenever I get one of these email messages, I simply hit Reply, insert the appropriate “signature” and click Send. This is much quicker than locating a saved document with the appropriate language, cutting it, and then pasting it into the email message.

To create a signature in Outlook 2003 or 2007, go to Tools | Options. In the Options dialog box, select the Mail Format tab and click the “Signatures…” button near the bottom of the dialog box . This will open a new dialog box that will allow you to name, create and format any number of signatures. You can set a default signature for new email messages and the same or another one for replies and forwards on the Mail Format tab, just above the “Signatures…” button. To insert a signature in an email, from within the message click Insert | Signature, and select the signature you’d like to insert.