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US Legal Word Numbering Template
The US Legal Contract template follows the numbering convention commonly used in U.S. contracts and agreements: ARTICLE I at the top, sections below it (Section 1.01), then lettered and numbered clauses — (a), (i), (A), (1) — down through nine levels.
One detail worth knowing: the section label uses Arabic article digits (Section 1.01 = Article I, Section 1), because level 2 uses Word’s legal-style numbering; the ARTICLE heading itself stays Roman (ARTICLE I). See the note in the structure section if you want Arabic digits on the article heading too.
Numbering Preview
This is how the numbering reads in Word, from Heading 1 down to Heading 9. Levels 6–9 are collapsed below.
- L1ARTICLE IDefinitions
- L2Section 1.01Term
- L3(a)Clause
- L4(i)Sub-clause
- L5(A)Item
Show levels 6–9
- L6(1)Sub-item
- L7a.Provision
- L8i.Sub-provision
- L9A.Point
Numbering Structure
All nine levels are linked to Word's built-in Heading styles: apply Heading 1 and level 1 numbering appears, Heading 2 and level 2 appears, and so on. Numbering is followed by a single space — no stray tab jumps.
| Level | Linked style | Number format |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heading 1 | ARTICLE I |
| 2 | Heading 2 | Section 1.01 |
| 3 | Heading 3 | (a) |
| 4 | Heading 4 | (i) |
| 5 | Heading 5 | (A) |
| 6 | Heading 6 | (1) |
| 7 | Heading 7 | a. |
| 8 | Heading 8 | i. |
| 9 | Heading 9 | A. |
Fonts: Times New Roman · Indent: 0.25 in per level, hanging indent
The section level uses Word’s legal-style numbering, so its article number is always Arabic: under ARTICLE I, the third section reads “Section 1.03”. The ARTICLE heading itself keeps its Roman numeral. If you want Arabic digits on the article heading as well, change level 1’s number style to 1, 2, 3 in Home → Multilevel List → Define New Multilevel List.
Who This Template Is For
- U.S. contracts, NDAs, and service agreements
- Employment and licensing agreements
- Any document that cites provisions as "Article II, Section 3"
In practice: definitions go under ARTICLE I, operative clauses under ARTICLE II and later; cross-references like "pursuant to Section 2.03(a)(i)" stay stable because the hierarchy is consistent.
How It Works in Word
Double-click the .dotx and Word opens a new, unnamed document based on the template. Type a heading, apply a Heading style from the Styles gallery, and the number appears. Add, delete, move, or promote headings — the numbering re-calculates itself, because it is defined inside the style, not typed into the text.
Save your finished document as .docx and the numbering stays with it. Works on Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024/2021/2019/2016, Word for Mac, and WPS Office.