Would it be possible please for WS to Insert Line Endings (after a full stop/period)?
Remove Line Endings is great for consolidating chunks of text, but there is no quick way to separate consolidated text into readily accessible chunks.
Currently when I copy and paste or hotkey to copy selection, the only way (as least the only way I use) is to manually read through the selected consolidated text and keyboard carriage return (enter) to create a new paragraph. Insert Line Endings wouldn’t avoid having lots of paragraphs (regardless of whether each sentence should be a new paragraph) but it would be easier for paras to be created automatically.
Where this feature would be extremely useful is when using Houdahspot to search for content of a pdf. For example, a search in my law library for “expert witness experience”, this is what I mean by consolidated text.
"Arbitration By following some sensible advice, expert witnesses can greatly enhance their case at arbitration. …a few do’s and don’ts Strength in clarity “Why did the arbitrator award that rent? How could he have possibly come to that answer?” The answer is that we arbitrators make awards within the confines of the cases put to us. The answer we come up with is constrained by the quality and weight of the evidence before us. Although this article is aimed at rent review arbitrations conducted by written representations and counter only, the main principles are the same for any arbitration dispute. The start of the process Rent review negotiations are often complicated affairs involving complex negotiating tactics. Not least of these, particularly if one of the negotiators is not as experienced as the other, is the threat by the more experienced surveyor ofletting the matter be referred to arbitration. Many applications to the RICS Dispute Resolution Service are made prematurely for tactical reasons, sometimes even before a notice of rent review is served or -negotiations have begun. Recent RICS statistics show that approximately 80% of appointments result in settlements by negotiation, IOo/o are settled after representations but before an award is made and IOo/o result in the arbitrator making an award. This means that arbitrators are often appointed, having gone through all the potential conflicts enquiries and tests, when in reality there is little intention on the part of the landlord and tenant actually to proceed to arbitration. Sometimes, the inactivity of one of the parties forces the other to make an application for an arbitrator in order move matters forward. Froni an arbitrator’s point of view it can be frustrating. Having been appointed, he must set time aside to deal with the case and ensure that neither he nor any of his colleagues takes on instructions which could be perceived to create a conflict or risk of bias. He might then be asked to hold matters in abeyance for months, even years, while the parties negotiate. On a positive note, however, an appointment that results in an arbitrator "standing by’’ can help to focus the minds of the parties, resulting in a negotiated settlement being achieved sooner than might otherwise have been the case. Directions and Agreement on Procedure (sometimes referred to as Section 5 Agreements) If the rent cannot be agreed by negotiation, the parties have the opportunity, under the Arbitration Act 1996, to agree how the arbitration will be run. If they cannot agree, the arbitrator will decide. Arbitrators usually provide the expert witnesses with draft Directions which can be used as the basis for an Agreement under Section 5 of the Arbitration Act 1996. In practice, the draft is often acceptable and does not get amended. The Directions will include, among other things, a requirement for the expert witnesses to: • comply with the RICS Practice Statement and Guidance’ Notes for Surveyors acting as expert witnesses. • provide a Statement of Agreed Facts. • set out the timetable for procedure. The Practice Statement and Guidance Notes spells out in very readable and understandable form the duties of an expert witness (as defined in the leading Ikerian Reefer case reported in 1993), and in particular their duty to the judicial body. My own directions always stipulate a requirement for the expert witnesses, in accordance with the Practice Statement (Paragraph 5. 3e and f), to certifY or declare that he or she has complied. This includes confirmation of completeness, truthfulness and honest opinion. Arbitrators face an increasing dilemma when representations are received from one or both surveyors declaring that he or she is acting as an expert witness, when it is obvious that they are advocating. Of course, an oral hearing is an option to test credibility under cross-examination, bunhis can be costly and time consuming. In the case of documents-only arbitrations, it can become very difficult for the expert witness to confine him or herself to that role without straying into the realms of advocacy. There is one school of thought that rent review surveyors (at least in documents-only cases) should act as advocates and not expert witnesses Many expert witnesses either ignore Directions and do not make the deClaration at all or make the declaration and do not comply with it. The Statement of Agreed Facts can be one of the most useful documents in the whole procedure. The expert witnesses should attempt to agree as many facts as possible thus concentrating the mind and narrowing the differences between the parties. There is no reason why arbitration awards cannot be made on one single in dispute, even if a base rent is agreed-for example, the effect on rent of the inability to underlet part. The more that can be agreed between the experts, the less time consuming and costly the case will be. The Practice Statement also requires expert witnesses, when directed by the . arbitrator, to state those issues on which they disagree, and the reasons why. This is often an overlooked item that can help the experts focus on the issues iri dispute between them. I am often surprised by the inability of the experts to agree even straightforward factual matters such as the floor area or the planning consent, let alone the facts relating to comparable evidence. Timetables in documents-only <:;ases can become a constantly moveable feast. I am usually sympathetic to a genuine request for - a deferment, often made by both parties jointly or with the agreement or rather non- objection of the other. I am less sympathetic when the parties then clamour and expect the award shortly after counter representations, without regard for the other diary commitments of the arbitrator. on the other hand, appreciate this problem and I make it dear if a delay is likely as a result of a requested deferment. How to present your case The way in which written representations and counter representations are presented is largely a matter of personal style. However, the arbitrator’s directions and the RICS Guidance Notes, which accompany the Practice Statement, provide a good basis as to content at Section 13. The secret to good representations is to assist the arbitrator by leaving no doubt as to how you have reached your opinion. However, many surveyors acting as expert witnesses, particularly the younger, less experienced ones, undergo little formal training in how to present their evidence, , either in terms of technical content, or in terms of practical presentation. One of the most serious shortfalls is the apparent inability or reluctance to properly analyse the comparable evidence. Often there is no indication of how or why adjustments are made to value on a like-for-like basis, or even why the witness thinks it is a valid comparable at all. A simple reiteration of the facts is all that is presented with no reasoning behind why or how that particular comparable has influenced the valuer’s thinking and opinion. There is always the alternative of calling for a hearing to see and hear a witness cross- examined but this can be a time-consuming process, the cost of which is not justified by the amount of rent being claimed. Another alternative is the arbitrator’s use of inquisitorial powers to question the expert witnesses on their evidence. He must extreme caution, however, as it is not in the arbitrator’s remit to make a case for a weak party by giving opportunity for a Arbitration "second bite of the cherry’’. The shortcomings of an expert witness’s representations will more than likely be addressed in counter-representations which provide an opportunity to rebut the opponent’s evidence. They are not vehicles for the introduction of new evidence in the hope of denying the opportunity of comment. Neither are they intended as a forum for acrimonious personal comment and attack. The practical presentation of representations and counter representations is vital. Expensive, hard-backed publications are unnecessary but the document should be bound in such a way that it does not fall apart when opened. It should be user-friendly with page and paragraph numbering and double line spacing with wide margins for notes. It is also useful, if not essential, to provide location plans, not just of the subject property, but also of the com parables. Photographs too, can be of immense assistance. Too often arbitrators go to inspect com parables without a location plan or photograph to find that the actual occupier is trading under a different name to the tenant in the lease or in the agreed comparable details. Conclusions I would urge all surveyors acting as expert witnesses to look critically at the way in· which they present their representations and not to make assumptions about what the arbitrator will or can do. He or she is there to arbitrate between two parties, not to make a case for a weak party. Truthfulness and completeness, which means dealing with negative aspects to one’s case as well as those matters that support it, is the cornerstone of the expert witness’s duty. The Dispute Resolution Faculty Board of the RICS is currently taking steps to provide trainingfor expert witnesses and plans to stage regional roadshows offiring the opportunity of trainingfor expert witnesses involved hi disputes such as rent reviews. "
To get the above into DTPO I use hotkey copy selection and. then spend however long separating each line.
Any suggestions?