Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
(for Microsoft Word users)
Table of Contents
Overview of Hyperlinking in Federal Court ............................................................................................ 2
Types of Permissible Hyperlinks ............................................................................................................... 3
Creating a Hyperlinked Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 4
Marking and Formatting Table of Contents Entries................................................................................ 4
Generating and Inserting the Table of Contents ..................................................................................... 7
Editing the Table of Contents (if needed) ............................................................................................... 9
To obtain the url for the document from the PACER docket sheet (PACER charge applies): ............ 11
Adding Links to Attachments to the Document being Filed ................................................................ 15
Automated Links to Legal Citations ....................................................................................................... 18
Access to Linking Software.................................................................................................................. 18
Linking Software—Compatibility Information ..................................................................................... 19
Westlaw InsertLinks ............................................................................................................................. 20
Installing West InsertLinks................................................................................................................... 20
Using West InsertLinks ........................................................................................................................ 20
Shepard’s Links 2008 ........................................................................................................................... 21
Installing Shepard’s Links .................................................................................................................... 21
Manually Inserting Hyperlinks................................................................................................................ 22
Manually Creating Links to Online Research Resources ..................................................................... 22
Manual Links to Court Websites .......................................................................................................... 23
Final Editing .............................................................................................................................................. 27
Removing Links ................................................................................................................................... 27
Editing Linked Text.............................................................................................................................. 27
Publish to PDF—Retaining the Hyperlinks............................................................................................ 28
Conversion to PDF ............................................................................................................................... 28
Additional Tips .......................................................................................................................................... 31
Viewing a Website Location Opened from a Link in a CM/ECF Filing: ............................................. 31
Formatting the Appearance of the Links Inserted ................................................................................ 32
Optimized PDFs to reduce file size ...................................................................................................... 33
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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Overview of Hyperlinking in Federal Court
In the internet research world, hyperlinks are a standard way of “drilling down” for
more detail or specific information. Just as all web pages contain links to other pages, cases
downloaded from legal research services such as Westlaw or Lexis contain links to the
cases, statutes, articles, or other sources cited within the opinion. The links allow immediate
access by the reader to these referenced materials.
Attorneys can include links to cited law and CM/ECF filings in their documents filed
in CM/ECF, adding another level of persuasion to their writing. Hyperlinks in briefs and
other court filings provide quick, easy, and pinpoint access to particular sections of a case,
or to specific filings in the court’s record. The attorney can thereby highlight the precise
issue presented, and the specific evidence and controlling or persuasive law the court
should consider.
Hyperlinks in court filings are very beneficial for court chambers. Court submissions
which include links to relevant case law and case filings are easy for chambers staff to
review. The attorneys’ arguments can be immediately verified in the context of the relevant
law. The judge or judicial clerk is able to read the text of the cited case law on one screen
while reading the attorney’s brief on the other. And if a brief contains links to referenced
exhibits, and even to specific pages within those exhibits, the judge or judicial clerk can
access the relevant evidence without having to navigate through the CM/ECF record.
Particularly when dealing with large and complex cases, links save chambers considerable
time and effort. Links make it easy for the court to verify – and adopt – the positions taken
by an advocate.
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Types of Permissible Hyperlinks
Subject to the court’s local rules, the following types of hyperlinks are
typically allowed in court documents.
Internal Links For example, the Table of Contents located at the
beginning of this Guide.
Links to documents
previously filed on
CM/ECF
Links to attachments and
exhibits being filed with
your brief
Note: Evidence must be filed of record. A hyperlink to
a public website where evidence can be found is not a
substitute for filing evidence in support of a motion.
Links to case and statute For example:
citations
Westlaw,
Note: Unless a cited case
cannot reasonably be
found from a public source,
it is not necessary to attach
copies of cases or statutes Lexis,
to your brief.
or court websites.
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Creating a Hyperlinked Table of Contents
A table of contents in a W ord document can include internal hyperlinks
for navigating the document. W hen the document is converted to PDF format,
these links will become bookmarks in the PDF document.
Although there are several methods for creating a table of contents in W
ord
2010, the one most useful to attorneys (and discussed below), is to create
the document, include any headings as you write, and then:
• Mark and format the headings to be included in the table of contents;
• Generate and insert the table of contents; and
• Edit as needed.
Marking and Formatting Table of Contents Entries
To mark and format entries to be included in the table of contents:
STEP ACTION
1
Create your document, inserting all headings with the format of your
choice.
2 Using your cursor, scroll over and
select the heading you want to include
in the table of contents.
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3 From the Styles
section on your
Home tab,
Click the down arrow in the right
lower corner.
A drop down list will appear.
Note: There are 9 pre-formatted Heading Styles
available in MS W ord, but only 2 may be visible in your
styles drop-down menu. Additional heading options (3
through 9) will appear, as you make your selections.
For example, when you select and apply Heading 2,
the Heading 3 option will appear and be available for
the next heading level, and so on.
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4
If… Then…
You want the Use your cursor to select the heading to be included in
text of the table the table of contents.
of contents
entries to
match the
headings
already From the Styles list, Right-click the heading level you
created within wish to apply. In the box that appears, select:
your document
(e.g. font, font Update Heading [x] to Match Selection.
color, bold, Continue until a heading style has been applied to all
etc.): heading levels within your brief.
You want to: From the Styles list,
Set a standard
format (e.g. Right-Click the heading
font, font color, level you wish to modify.
bold, etc.), for
In the box that appears,
all headings and
select Modify to open the
table of contents
Modify Style box.
entries created
with your W ord
program,
Choose text:
Or • font
• font size
Change the
heading • appearance
format in the • color
brief already
• justification
created:
• line spacing
Save settings for:
• only in this document, or
• all documents created using your standard templat
• Add to Quick Style List.
Click OK.
Scroll through your document. For each heading, select the heading text
with your cursor, then click the heading style to be applied.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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Generating and Inserting the Table of Contents
To add the Table of Contents to your document:
STEP ACTION
Place your
cursor in the
document at
the location you
want to insert
the table of
contents.
Add a title for
the Table of
Contents.
Enter a few
hard returns.
Control + Enter
to insert a page
break.
Place your
cursor where
the table of
contents
entries should
begin.
From the
References tab
of your W ord
ribbon,
Select
Table of
Contents, and
from the menu
that appears,
Select:
Insert Table of
Contents.
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Make selections for
the appearance of
the table of
contents.
Click OK.
Note: If your
table has more
than three levels,
you must set
Show levels to
the correct
number.
Note: The “Use
hyperlinks instead
of page numbers”
must be checked
or the table of
contents will not
have active links
upon conversion
to PDF.
The Table of
Contents, with
active section
links, will be
inserted into your
document.
Note: You can
manually modify
the page numbers
to appear as other
links in your
document, (e.g.
blue and
underlined).
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Editing the Table of Contents (if needed)
Inserting the Table of Contents may result in page break changes. For
example, hard page breaks or extra lines that were added during drafting
to adjust the overall look of the document may no longer be needed, or
some may now need to be added.
If the brief was modified after the table of contents was inserted:
STEP ACTION
From the reference tab on
the W ord ribbon, select
Update Table.
Select
Update page numbers
only. Click OK.
Note: If you have added
or changed a heading,
choose Update entire
table.
When the entire document is complete, using MS W ord, Save the document as
a
PDF or Create PDF in accordance with the instructions in this Guide.
Note: Do not Print to PDF. All active links in your Word document
become inactive in PDFs created using Print to PDF.
Drafting Documents to Include Links to CM/ECF
If you are creating a document which will include links to documents filed on
CM/ECF, use a consistent citation format that cites the CM/ECF filing number
along with the CM/ECF page number. For example:
STEP ACTION
1 Download the filings from CM/ECF, and save them in your computer.
Reminder: You can download a document from CM/ECF one time
for free when you receive the Notice of Electronic Filing. Charges
apply to each additional download of the same document.
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STEP ACTION
2 Documents downloaded from CM/ECF will include a header that
identifies the CM/ECF filing number and the page numbers within that
filing.
3 When drafting your brief, cite to the CM/ECF filing number and
CM/ECF page number to which you are citing. For example:
Assume you are citing to the following page of evidence.
The citation within the brief could appear as follows:
The Plan included a Trust Agreement. (Filing No. 13-1, at CM/ECF p. 3).
Note: A consistent citation format is necessary when using CM/ECF
LinkBuilder, an automated method for adding links to CM/ECF filings.
Gathering URLs for Links for Citations to the Record
Now that the filing numbers and associated page numbers are in the brief,
you can manually add links to the electronic record. You may gather these
links from:
• saved Notices of Electronic Filing (no charge); or
• the docket sheet on PACER (PACER charge applies).
To obtain the url for the CM/ECF document without incurring a PACER charge:
STEP ACTION
1 Collect and save on your computer the Notice of Electronic Filing
(NEF) for all filings in the case.
2 When you later need the link for the
document cited,
--retrieve the NEF for that document,
--right-click on the Document
Number, and from the drop-down
menu that appears,
Select Copy Link Location.
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To obtain the url for the document from the PACER docket sheet (PACER
charge applies):
STEP ACTION
1 Open the CM/ECF docket sheet for the case and scroll to the cited
docket filing.
2 If linking to the main CM/ECF filing,
right-click on the docket filing number,
and Copy shortcut.
If linking to a sub-file within a CM/ECF filing number:
Right-click on the sub-
filing number in the
docket text and,
select Copy Shortcut.
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Formatting the Appearance of the Links Inserted
Before inserting links into a document, you may choose how those links
will appear in the final document. For example, do you want them to
appear:
blue and underlined,
bold and black,
black and italicized, or
some other
appearance?
To select the appearance of the links in your document:
STEP ACTION
1 On the Home tab,
click on the tiny arrow under
Changes Styles.
2 A drop down menu will appear.
Scroll down until you see Hyperlink.
Right-click on Hyperlink, and from the
choices that appear,
select Modify.
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3 A Modify Style box will
appear.
Change the color, font, and
underlining, etc. for hyperlinks.
Note: Choose a specific font
and font size for the linked text
only if the linked text font and
font size should appear
different from that of the
document text. Otherwise,
leave the font and font size
selections blank.
Click OK.
Linking to CM/ECF Documents
Using LinkBuilder to Insert Links to Documents Previously Filed on
CM/ECF
The CM/ECF LinkBuilder add-in for W ord automates the creation of cross-
document hyperlinks between filings in the federal court’s CM/ECF system.
LinkBuilder will search a Microsoft W ord document for citations to CM/ECF
filings and insert a hyperlink to the corresponding file in the CM/ECF system.
LinkBuilder can recognize and link to attachments to the record, as well as page
specific references to create pinpoint access to specific information in the case.
For more information and to download the LinkBuilder tool, visit
http://www.ned.uscourts.gov/internetDocs/cmecf/LinkBuilderforMSW
ord.pdf
Manually Inserting Links to Documents Previously Filed on CM/ECF
To manually add the links you have copied from the docket to the MS W ord
document you are drafting:
STEP ACTION
1 In the brief, use your cursor to select the citation to which a hyperlink
will be added.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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STEP ACTION
2 Select the Insert tab on the MS Word ribbon, then select Hyperlink.
An Insert Hyperlink dialog box will appear.
Note: The text you selected will automatically appear in the “Text to
display” line.
3 Place your cursor in the Address box of the Insert Hyperlink dialog
box. Right-click. From the drop-down that appears, select Paste.
4 The link to the first page of the filing will appear.
To link to the filing only, or to only page 1 of the filing, click OK. The
link to the citation will be added in your brief.
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STEP ACTION
5 To link to the specific page number of the CM/ECF filing that you are
citing,
In the address box, scroll to or place your cursor at the end of the link
address.
Add the following text: ?page=<page number> . For example,
To link to page number 3 of a filing, add ?page=3. Click OK and the
link to the page will be added to the citation in the brief.
Note: Use the page numbers assigned by CM/ECF when linking to
pages in documents filed in CM/ECF. Do not use Bates numbers or
other numbering assigned to the record by the parties.
Note: While the document remains in an MS Word format, the link will
go only to the first page of the document. But upon conversion to
PDF (see instructions below), the PDF link will go to the specific page
you cited.
6 Convert the brief to a PDF following the instructions below.
7 File the PDF version of the document in CM/ECF.
Note: It is not necessary to re-file or re-attach the documents to which
you are linking if they have been previously filed in CM/ECF.
Adding Links to Attachments to the Document being Filed
If a document cited in your brief has not previously been filed on CM/ECF, you
may link to the document within your order only if the document is filed as an
attachment to your brief. Follow the steps below to add active hyperlinks to
documents you will be filing as attachments in CM/ECF.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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STEP ACTION
1 Save all the attachment documents you will cite into a single folder in
your computer. The documents must be in PDF format.
2 While drafting your brief, include the citations to the documents saved
in your computer.
3 Using your cursor, select the text to which a link will be added.
4 On the Insert
ribbon,
select Hyperlink.
5 In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box:
Navigate to cited file
saved on your
computer;
Select the file; and
Click OK.
6 A link to the file will be added to the text. If you hover over the link with your
cursor, you will see the link address.
Add links to all the citations in your brief accordingly.
Note: Specific page links can be added by following the directions in the
previous section. Use the PDF page number, not a Bates number or footer
page number, for the citation.
7 Save the order as a PDF as described in these instructions.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
Revised June 6, 2014 Page 16 of 33
STEP ACTION
8 File the brief and evidence as follows:
a Following the normal procedure for filing orders on CM/ECF,
browse to and select your brief with links as the main
document.
b Browse to and select as an Attachment each PDF file
to which a link was created in your brief.
c Using the drop-down list, select the type of document
attached, and provide a written description of the
document. (Note: The written description will become
the name assigned as a PDF bookmark when the file is
downloaded by the court. However, a unique
description is needed if similarly labeled documents are
cited.)
R
e
Repeat the foregoing steps until all cited evidence is
filed as an attachment to your brief.
d When all evidence attachments have been added to
the brief, click Next and complete the remaining steps
for filing the brief on CM/ECF. Once filed, the links in
the brief will link directly to the evidence filed of record
as attachments to the brief.
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Automated Links to Legal Citations
Links to legal citations can be added manually or, assuming the software is
compatible with your computer and word processing software, by using automated
linking software available through Westlaw or Lexis.
Access to Linking Software
Tool Cost URL
Westlaw InsertLinks Must purchase a West http://legalsolutions.thomsonre
BriefTools subscription. uters.com/law-
products/solutions/brief-
Estimated cost: $100/month
tools?searchterms=brief+tool
for small firms;
$300 to 500/month for larger
firms (10 licenses)
Shepard’s Links Lexis is currently not selling a http://support.lexisnexis.com/ln
2008 software subscription which will download/record.asp?ArticleID
insert links to documents that =6056
will remain active upon
conversion to PDF. The last Note: The Shepard’s
version of such software was BriefSuite dictionary is getting
created in 2008 and can be old and may not recognize
downloaded from the some of the newer reporters.
Lexis/Nexis website for free. Its accuracy as a linking tool is
inconsistent.
Lexis for Microsoft This Lexis software product will http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-
Office add links for research and us/products/lexis-for-microsoft-
drafting purposes, but those office.page
links are lost upon conversion
to PDF. Lexis is investigating
the issue.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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Linking Software—Compatibility Information
The following graph outlines the compatibility of Shepard’s Links 2008, West
InsertLinks, and Lexis Links for Microsoft Office for inserting links into MS Word
and WordPerfect documents with a Windows XP (SP3) 2GB Memory, Windows
Vista (SP2) 4GB Memory, or Windows 7 – 4GB Memory computer.*
Shepard’s Links Lexis for West
2008 Microsoft Office InsertLinks
MS Word 2010 X** X***
MS Word 2007 X** X***
MS Word 2003 X X***
MS Word 2000 X
WordPerfect X6****
WordPerfect X4 – X5 X
WordPerfect X3 X X
WordPerfect 10 – 12 X
* The West and Lexis linking software programs cannot be used on Apple computers.
Moreover, although Shepard’s Links was not designed to operate on Windows Vista
and Windows 7 (as reflected in the Lexis literature), it is working on these computer
systems.
** Lexis for Microsoft Office is being developed and tested. However, in its current
stage of development, any links added by Lexis for Microsoft Office are being stripped
out upon conversion to PDF. Lexis is investigating this issue.
*** Westlaw product information states InsertLinks is compatible with both 32- and 64-bit
Microsoft Word. However, while it works well with 32-bit Word, InsertLinks is not fully
compatible or useful with 64-bit Word.
**** West currently has no linking software compatible with WordPerfect X6. West
indicates it may develop and release this product during the summer of 2013.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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Westlaw InsertLinks
InsertLinks is a Westlaw computer software program which scans Microsoft Word
or Corel WordPerfect1 documents to locate legal citations, and then automatically
inserts hyperlinks to the Westlaw internet address (url) for those citations into the
word processing document.
See attached InsertLink example-Word
InsertLink example-WordPerfect
Installing West InsertLinks
InsertLinks is part of the West BriefTools suite, and a BriefTools
subscription is required in order to use this software.
The current West BriefTools product is Version 2.7.2039, which
was updated on December 10, 2012.
The attached BriefTools Software Download instructions
outline the system requirements and provides instructions on how
to install West BriefTools.
Using West InsertLinks
Once InsertLinks software is installed, Westlaw links can be installed
automatically in Microsoft Word documents using the following steps:
STEP ACTION
1 With the Microsoft Word document to which you are adding
links open on your screen:
Select the Westlaw Solutions tab on the Word ribbon.
2 The West BriefTools options will open.
Select InsertLinks.
1
Currently, InsertLinks is not compatible with, and cannot be used for, automatically inserting links into
WordPerfect X6 documents. It does, however, work with prior versions of WordPerfect.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
Revised June 6, 2014 Page 20 of 33
STEP ACTION
3 The InsertLinks software will begin searching the document
for citations and inserting the appropriate links.
The box depicted above will disappear when the process is
complete and all links are installed.
Shepard’s Links 2008
Shepard’s Links is a Lexis computer software program which scans Microsoft
Word or Corel WordPerfect2 documents to locate legal citations, and then
automatically inserts hyperlinks to the Lexis internet address (url) for those
citations into the word processing document.
Reminder: Although free, Shepard’s links has not been updated since 2008 and
provides inconsistent auto-linking results.
Installing Shepard’s Links
Shepards Links is part of the Shepard’s BriefSuite.
Shepard’s BriefSuite has not been updated since 2008.
The attached BriefSuite software download instructions
provide a step-by-step description on how to install Shepard’s
BriefSuite.
2
See compatibility graph above.
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Manually Inserting Hyperlinks
As previously described, hyperlinks to documents filed on CM/ECF can be
manually added to a document about to be filed. It is also possible to manually create
links to documents available through commercial legal websites (e.g., Lexis or
Westlaw), and those posted on the court’s website (Local Rules).
Manually adding links can be labor intensive if the document is long, but the
process is not difficult. And even if you are primarily using software to add links to a
document, understanding the underlying mechanics of hyperlinking within WordPerfect
and Word documents is helpful and may be necessary if, for example, you need to
make corrections to the automatically created links.
Manually Creating Links to Online Research Resources
The process for manually adding links to Westlaw, Lexis, Google Scholar, or any
other online research resource (LoisLaw, FastCase, etc.,) is the same.
STEP ACTION
1 In the brief, use your cursor to select the citation to which you are
adding a link.
2 Sign into the legal research website and open the cited document.
Select the url address for the document.
Right-click, and Copy the address. See e.g.,
OR
OR
Note: Check your local rules for any authority or limitations on the
legal research websites to which links are permitted.
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STEP ACTION
3 a Select the Insert ribbon, then select Hyperlink. An Insert
Hyperlink dialog box will appear.
Note: The text you selected will automatically appear in the “Text
to display” line.
b Place your cursor in the Address box of the Insert Hyperlink
dialog box. Right-click. From the drop-down that appears,
select Paste.
Click OK.
The link to the citation will be added in your order.
c
Manual Links to Court Websites
You may wish to cite to published opinions on a court’s website, or to the court’s
local rules. To do so:
STEP ACTION
1 In your brief, select the text to be linked.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
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STEP ACTION
2 Locate and copy the url address for the citation. See e.g.,
OR
3 Referring to the previous section, “Manually Creating Links to
Online Research Resources,” complete Step 3.
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Hyperlinking Guide for Attorneys Practicing in US District Court
Create Bookmarks in a PDF
A bookmark is a type of link within Acrobat PDF documents. Each
bookmark goes to a different view or page in the document. They can
mark places in a document for easy access later. Follow the steps in the
table below to add bookmarks to your PDF files.
Step Screen
1. Click the Bookmark tab on the left
side of the Adobe Acrobat window to
open the bookmarks panel.
2. Navigate to the page where you want
the bookmark.
In the Bookmarks pane, click the New
Bookmark icon.
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3. A new bookmark will appear as
Type a name for the bookmark.
Note: If you highlight text on the page
before clicking the New Bookmark
button, the selected text will
automatically become the name of the
bookmark.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 until all bookmarks
are placed.
To ensure that the bookmarks are
displayed when the document is
opened, we need to set the view
property.
5. From the File menu, choose
Properties.
6. Click on the Initial View tab.
7. From the Navigation tab list, choose
Bookmarks Panel and Page or
Attachments Panel and Page depending
on your situation.
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Final Editing
Removing Links
To remove a specific link in a Word document:
Place your cursor over the link,
Right-click, and from the drop-down
that appears,
click Remove Hyperlink.
To remove all links in a Word document:
Press Ctrl + A to select the entire document, then
Ctrl + Shift + F9.
Editing Linked Text
To make additions to or change hyperlinked text in a Word document:
1. Place your cursor at the end of the linked text.
2. Use the back arrow on your keyboard to move your cursor in the
linked text to the position where the text must be added or
changed, and
3. Type in your changes.
Or
Place your cursor over the link,
Right-click, and from the drop-down
that appears, and
click Edit Hyperlink.
In the Edit Hyperlink box that opens,
Type any changes in Text to display.
Click OK.
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Publish to PDF—Retaining the Hyperlinks
All documents filed in CM/ECF are in PDF format, so all documents created for
filing must be converted to a PDF document. To include hyperlinks in your filed
documents, place all the links into the document using your word processing system
before converting the document to a PDF format.
Once all links are in the word processing version of your document, use your
word processing software to save or convert your briefs, or other documents you have
created for filing, in a PDF format.
Note: Do NOT use Print to PDF to create a PDF of an order with hyperlinks–the
hyperlinks will be lost. Do NOT print the document and scan it to PDF format.
Conversion to PDF
MS Word has several methods for saving (“publishing”) a document in PDF
format, including the following methods:
STEP ACTION
1 Select the File
tab on the MS
Word ribbon;
from the drop-
down menu,
select
Save and
Send;
and from the
choices now
available,
choose
Create Adobe PDF from the File Types list,
then
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STEP ACTION
2 Navigate to the location where you want to save the document.
Name the document and click Save.
Check View Result if you want the PDF document created to open
upon conversion.
3 After the document is published to PDF, you may upload it to CM/ECF
using typical filing processes. With the exception of filing a document
with links to its own attachments (discussed previously), no special
steps are needed for filing a hyperlinked document on CM/ECF.
Note: If you have Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro loaded on your computer, you
may also add the Adobe Acrobat tab and ribbon to your MS Word ribbons and
use the Acrobat ribbon to convert documents to PDF.
To do so:
Select the File tab on the MS Word ribbon.
Choose Options.
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Select Customize
Ribbon.
Add the Acrobat tab.
Click OK
An Acrobat tab will now appear on the MS Word ribbon, and will
continue to do so hereafter.
After the Acrobat tab is added, save a document as a PDF by
selecting the Acrobat tab, and then Create PDF.
After the document is published to PDF, you may upload it to
CM/ECF using typical filing processes. With the exception of filing a
document with links to its own attachments (discussed previously),
no special steps are needed for filing a hyperlinked document on
CM/ECF.
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Revised June 6, 2014 Page 30 of 33
Additional Tips
Viewing a Website Location Opened from a Link in a CM/ECF Filing:
When opening a PDF document filed on CM/ECF, make sure you are opening
PDFs in your PDF software and not within the Web browser itself. Opening the
CM/ECF documents in the web browser will result in unnecessary toggling
between the document opened on CM/ECF and any website locations opened
from links within that CM/ECF document, and will make it difficult or impossible to
display the CM/ECF document on one screen and the website location on
another.
For those who use Adobe Acrobat, this setting adjustment is made as follows:
With an Adobe Acrobat
document open,
Click Edit,
then Preferences.
From the Categories,
scroll and select Internet.
Make sure Display PDF in
browser is not selected.
Click OK.
After you change this setting, you will need to close and reopen your Web
browser before opening CM/ECF filings.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
Revised June 6, 2014 Page 31 of 33
Formatting the Appearance of the Links Inserted
Before inserting links into a document, you may choose how those links will
appear in the final document. For example, do you want them to appear:
blue and underlined,
bold and black,
black and italicized, or
some other appearance?
To select the appearance of the links in your document:
STEP ACTION
1 On the Home tab,
click on the tiny arrow under
Changes Styles.
2 A drop down menu will appear.
Scroll down until you see Hyperlink.
Right-click on Hyperlink, and from the
choices that appear,
select Modify.
3 A Modify Style box will
appear.
Change the color, font, and
underlining, etc. for hyperlinks.
Note: Choose a specific font
and font size for the linked text
only if the linked text font and
font size should appear
different from that of the
document text. Otherwise,
leave the font and font size
selections blank.
Click OK.
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
Revised June 6, 2014 Page 32 of 33
Optimized PDFs to reduce file size
Large documents or documents containing forms, photos or graphics should be
saved as an optimized PDF to reduce file storage size. Select File and Click
Save As. From the Save as type dropdown menu, select PDF. From the
Optimize for radio buttons, Select Minimum size (publishing online). Click
Save.
This manual was based on the instructional guide produced by
Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart of the District Court of Nebraska.
Please share your comments, questions, corrections, and experiences
with hyperlinking or using this Guide by contacting:
IT Department
US District Court for the Central District of California
(213) 894-6133
Attorney Guide to Hyperlinking in the Federal Courts
Revised June 6, 2014 Page 33 of 33
