Drafting legal content in ClauseBuddy is straightforward.
The key is understanding how paragraph structure, formatting, and special elements (such as placeholders and references) are handled.
In this article:
Paragraph structure
Aligning with a previous paragraph
Changing numbering and indentation
Aligning with a previous paragraph
Using placeholders
Cross-references
Footnotes
Tables
Paragraph structure
In ClauseBuddy, paragraphs can start with:
Numbering (for example
1.,1.2,1.2.3)Asterisks (
*,**,***) for bullet-style paragraphs
When inserted into Microsoft Word:
Numbered paragraphs are formatted as Heading 1 / 2 / 3, etc.
Asterisk-based paragraphs are formatted as Body 1 / 2 / 3, etc.
If your Word document uses automatic numbering, inserted clauses can adopt that numbering. You can also choose to remove numbering before insertion.
ClauseBuddy automatically recognises most numbering styles. When you select content in Word and add it as a clause, existing numbering is converted into the appropriate numbering or asterisk structure.
So notice that paragraph 13.1 simply becomes 1, while paragraph 13.2 becomes 2, and so on. Also notice that sub bullets start with a double asterisk.
ClauseBuddy can automatically detect most types of numberings, so when you pre-select content and hit the + button, ClauseBuddy will automatically convert existing numbering into 1/2/3 or asterisk-style.
Aligning with a previous paragraph
Sometimes you may want a paragraph to align with a previous paragraph without receiving a new number or bullet.
To do this, repeat the number of the preceding paragraph instead of creating a new one. This preserves indentation and layout while preventing renumbering.
Changing numbering and indentation
When your cursor is placed in the Title or Body field, a formatting toolbar appears.
You'll be able to:
Apply or remove numbering
Apply or remove bullets
Indent or outdent paragraphs
Unlike Microsoft Word, indentation does not change spacing visually. Instead, ClauseBuddy adjusts the numbering level or number of asterisks to control structure.
Using placeholders
Placeholders allow you to mark variable content that should be completed later.
To create a placeholder:
Select the relevant text
Click the placeholder button
The text is highlighted in yellow to indicate it is now a placeholder.
Placeholders can be configured with predefined values and managed centrally. See the dedicated placeholders page for more details.
Cross-references
In ClauseBuddy, references must be updated manually.
To highlight a reference that may need updating:
Select the reference
Click the reference button
The text is marked in pink. When inserted into Word, it remains highlighted to draw attention.
Footnotes
You can insert footnotes in two ways:
Using the footnote button in the toolbar
Footnotes should be placed at the bottom of the clause in ClauseBuddy. When inserted into Word, they are automatically converted into Word footnotes.
Result in Microsoft Word:
Manually
Insert a number in square brackets (for example[1]) in the text, and repeat the same number at the bottom of the clause.
Tables
To insert a table:
Click the table button in the toolbar
Choose the number of rows and columns
After insertion, you can edit tables as expected - adding or removing rows and columns, or merging and splitting cells.