ArkansasAppeals.com

We are often asked about creating bookmarks in Adobe, so this post provides a brief explanation of the basics of creating bookmarks. PLEASE NOTE that under the current rules, you must create hyperlinks in your appellate briefs. For instructions on how to do that, visit our previous blog post on the topic.

So, why would anyone need to know about bookmarks? Two reasons come to mind. First, the proposed rules regarding electronic filing require the use of bookmarks. So, if you’re planning to participate in the pilot project, you’ll need to know how to use bookmarks. Second, for ease of navigation, we usually add bookmarks even when we’re proceeding under the current rules (in addition to the required hyperlinks). We do this because we’ve heard anecdotally that some judges prefer bookmarks to hyperlinks, and we think the proposed rule changes (which mandate bookmarks) support that view.

With that background in mind, we move now to the directions. (Note that in the screenshots below, we have simply used the Arkansas Supreme Court’s model appellant’s brief.)

Step 1: Open the bookmarks pane

Click the icon on the left side of the screen that looks like an old-school bookmark. (If you cannot see that icon, there is a very small right-facing arrow that you’ll need to click first.)

Step 2: Browse to the portion of the brief that you are bookmarking

At this point, you’ll simply browse to the part of the brief you want to bookmark. If you want to make Step 4 slightly easier, highlight the text at the beginning of that portion of the brief.

Step 3: Click the “New Bookmark” button

Once you’ve browsed to the page you’re bookmarking, click the “New Bookmark” button.

Step 4: Name your bookmark

If you highlighted the text in Step 2, then your bookmark will already be named. Otherwise, just type the name of the bookmark.

There are more advanced features to bookmarking (such as nesting), but those are outside the scope of this blog post.