PDF Proficiency at Your Law Firm

Don't Cut Corners

We strongly advocate that legal professionals invest in Adobe' Acrobat Standard or Professional and not solely rely on the free Acrobat Reader software. Although Adobe is adding a few new features to the Reader, the most important distinction here is that with Reader only, your firm will be severely limited in what you can do with PDF output, most importantly the fact that you cannot create them.

Keys to PDF Success

Scanning. Typically, if your firm scans in paper at a centrally located and/or desktop scanner, the scanner software creates a PDF image. This type of PDF creation usually creates an exact replica of what you would see on paper. Unlike “PDF Printing” (see below), if you want a scanned document's PDF results to be text searchable, you will need to “OCR” your PDF. The OCR process layers and stores a list of words it interprets from the PDF image making it text searchable. Acrobat Reader does not include OCR capabilities.

Printing. You may print to the virtual PDF printer (except Acrobat Reader) to create an exact replica of the original document. Printing to the virtual PDF printer includes that hidden layer of text for making your PDF searchable by default. PDFs created from other computer programs (like Microsoft Word) are usually text searchable as well.

Portfolios. The “PDF Portfolio” is often overlooked when attempting to keep multiple document types and e-mails consolidated. A PDF Portfolio may contain multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio may be in different formats (created in different applications). This also is a worthwhile storage solution when a matter is to be closed. PDF Portfolios (again, available in Standard and Pro only) give you consolidated access to related documents across multiple file formats.

What's in a Version?

Acrobat Standard. Allows users to create PDF and PDF/A output that is text searchable. In addition, the ability to OCR, embed images, create portfolios, create PDF forms, markup, stamp, highlight, layer type using the typewriter tool and more.

Acrobat Professional. Includes all of the features of Standard and also includes text redaction and Bates stamping, as well as the ability to catalog and build indexes of documents for searching across one or multiple PDFs.

Non Adobe PDF Software. There are myriad software programs from other developers besides Adobe. Because Adobe Corp is the originator of the PDF format, it continues, to us, to be the premier solution for PDF creation, manipulation and output. However, Adobe products can be expensive. Acrobat Standard retails (single, non-volume license) for about $299 per installation, and PRO retails for about $399. There are other PDF developers that vary from a price tag of free to the same cost as Adobe. You may wish to consider such products as PDF Creator, PDF Docs, Nitro PDF and others. A Google search may also help with your comparison tour.

Key Features of Adobe Acrobat X

Stamping. One of the many benefits of printing your word processing documents to PDF is the ability to use the Stamp Tool to add notations such as “Draft,” “Revised” and/or “Reviewed.” You can even make a stamp of your handwritten signature.

Commenting. The commenting tools include the function of adding highlights, underlines, shapes, sticky notes and the like to your PDF documents. This is commonly where it is often said that you can do virtually
anything to a PDF that you can do to a piece of paper, except tear it and burn it. The commenting tool allows you and your staff the ability to collaborate directly on the PDF.

Forms Creation and the Typing Tool. Acrobat Standard and Pro include the ability to layer form fields on a PDF. The typewriter tool (called Add/Edit Text Box in Acrobat X) permits you to type information over blank form fields. In the free Reader, you can use the Typewriter tool only if the creator of the form enabled it for that form.

Action Wizard/Flattening Overlays. Like macros in Word, you can save time and keystrokes by setting up a defined series of commands with specific settings and in a specific order that you apply in a single step, known as an “action.” You can apply an action to a single document, to several documents, or to an entire collection of documents. Both Acrobat Standard and Pro provide some predefined actions. Further, Adobe Acrobat X Pro lets you export and import actions so that you can share actions with others.

Security/Metadata. Acrobat Standard and Pro feature robust security options. Password and certificate policies settings permit you to reuse security policies to encrypt PDFs without setting up the password or certificate for each instance. You can strip metadata from your PDF with security features as well.

Other Useful Features

Redaction. Acrobat Pro includes a full redaction tool to permit you to remove or permanently block sensitive content from your PDF. Once redacted and saved, no one can see what was under the redacted block.

Sanitizing a PDF. The Remove Hidden Information feature permits you to remove metadata, hidden data, comments and attachments. There is also a Sanitize tool that automates the removal of hidden data (such as metadata).

Digital Signatures (including Echo Sign). Digital signatures, similar to a handwritten signature, can be used to approve documents and create legally binding acceptance. However, unlike a handwritten signature, digital signatures will verify your identity. A digital signature serves to protect the integrity and authenticity of a document as of the time it was signed. A PDF digital signature may include a photo, image or other personal details. Document authors can attest to the contents of their documents by adding a certifying statement. Recently, Adobe acquired Echo Sign. Subsequent to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (e-Sign Act of 2000; www.ftc.gov/os/2001/06/esign7.htm), standards were established regarding the legality of electronic signatures for use in e-commerce and other contractual agreements. To date, the legal industry has been slow to adopt electronic signatures. But, the advancements by Adobe EchoSign (AES) may be on the cusp of changing that. Once signed, to keep in compliance with the e-Sign Act, AES provides consumer disclosure notifying signers that they are giving consent to transact business using electronic communications.

Review/Tracker. PDFs can be reviewed individually by sending a PDF to a reviewer via e-mail. Acrobat also includes commenting tools and a document message bar with instructions. Use the commenting tools to add comments to the PDF and then submit them. Review initiators can set instructions, deadlines and limits on what is to be reviewed.

Adobe Send Now Online. Sending large PDFs can still be a challenge for many e-mail providers and exchange servers. “Adobe Send Now” online is built into Acrobat X, permitting a user to upload a large PDF document, envelope or portfolio, with or without encryption and conditions. Recipients have to establish an Adobe ID and password and log in to download the large item. This saves time and pressure on the typical exchange server and avoids issues blocking attachments due to size.

Closing Argument

PDF is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware and operating systems. It continues to be of growing importance in law firms as lawyers collaborate on documents, adopt electronic signatures, and electronically file pleadings in jurisdictions that require it. In the United States, almost every state has jurisdictions where the court has implemented e-filing, which essentially manages litigation more effectively. Finally, because PDFs are operating system agnostic, sending a PDF to another for review or in portfolio or envelope form includes a virtual guarantee that the recipient will be able to open, comment, manipulate and comply with the sender's request.

If you haven't embraced the advanced functions of Acrobat Standard or Pro, now is the time to learn and master PDF functionality at your law firm ' broader adoption of PDF use is in your future.

A PDF (Portable Document Format) is an electronic file format that captures all elements of a printed document as an electronic image that you can view, navigate, print or forward to someone else. Its importance within the legal industry continues to grow as more and more of our colleagues, as well as the courts (both Federal and State) require lawyers to produce output in a PDF format. In fact, as of December 2010, most, if not all of the Federal District Courts required all court filings electronically in PDF format. With this fact comes the realization that most legal professionals utilize less than 10% of the features and functionality included in the Adobe Acrobat product suite. This article hopes to shed some more light on how law firms of all sizes and complexities can make better use of this Adobe technology they probably already have.

Formats Matter

Of late, most courts require the filing of documents in a new “flavor” of PDF, known as PDF/A. The “/A” stands for archiving and aims to preserve the static visual appearance of electronic documents over time, as well as support future access and future document migration needs. Since the courts are currently requiring PDF/compliance, Adobe Acrobat makes it as simple as using FILE>SAVE AS>PDF/A.

Don't Cut Corners

We strongly advocate that legal professionals invest in Adobe' Acrobat Standard or Professional and not solely rely on the free Acrobat Reader software. Although Adobe is adding a few new features to the Reader, the most important distinction here is that with Reader only, your firm will be severely limited in what you can do with PDF output, most importantly the fact that you cannot create them.

Keys to PDF Success

Scanning. Typically, if your firm scans in paper at a centrally located and/or desktop scanner, the scanner software creates a PDF image. This type of PDF creation usually creates an exact replica of what you would see on paper. Unlike “PDF Printing” (see below), if you want a scanned document's PDF results to be text searchable, you will need to “OCR” your PDF. The OCR process layers and stores a list of words it interprets from the PDF image making it text searchable. Acrobat Reader does not include OCR capabilities.

Printing. You may print to the virtual PDF printer (except Acrobat Reader) to create an exact replica of the original document. Printing to the virtual PDF printer includes that hidden layer of text for making your PDF searchable by default. PDFs created from other computer programs (like Microsoft Word) are usually text searchable as well.

Portfolios. The “PDF Portfolio” is often overlooked when attempting to keep multiple document types and e-mails consolidated. A PDF Portfolio may contain multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio may be in different formats (created in different applications). This also is a worthwhile storage solution when a matter is to be closed. PDF Portfolios (again, available in Standard and Pro only) give you consolidated access to related documents across multiple file formats.

What's in a Version?

Acrobat Standard. Allows users to create PDF and PDF/A output that is text searchable. In addition, the ability to OCR, embed images, create portfolios, create PDF forms, markup, stamp, highlight, layer type using the typewriter tool and more.

Acrobat Professional. Includes all of the features of Standard and also includes text redaction and Bates stamping, as well as the ability to catalog and build indexes of documents for searching across one or multiple PDFs.

Non Adobe PDF Software. There are myriad software programs from other developers besides Adobe. Because Adobe Corp is the originator of the PDF format, it continues, to us, to be the premier solution for PDF creation, manipulation and output. However, Adobe products can be expensive. Acrobat Standard retails (single, non-volume license) for about $299 per installation, and PRO retails for about $399. There are other PDF developers that vary from a price tag of free to the same cost as Adobe. You may wish to consider such products as PDF Creator, PDF Docs, Nitro PDF and others. A Google search may also help with your comparison tour.

Key Features of Adobe Acrobat X

Stamping. One of the many benefits of printing your word processing documents to PDF is the ability to use the Stamp Tool to add notations such as “Draft,” “Revised” and/or “Reviewed.” You can even make a stamp of your handwritten signature.

Commenting. The commenting tools include the function of adding highlights, underlines, shapes, sticky notes and the like to your PDF documents. This is commonly where it is often said that you can do virtually
anything to a PDF that you can do to a piece of paper, except tear it and burn it. The commenting tool allows you and your staff the ability to collaborate directly on the PDF.

Forms Creation and the Typing Tool. Acrobat Standard and Pro include the ability to layer form fields on a PDF. The typewriter tool (called Add/Edit Text Box in Acrobat X) permits you to type information over blank form fields. In the free Reader, you can use the Typewriter tool only if the creator of the form enabled it for that form.

Action Wizard/Flattening Overlays. Like macros in Word, you can save time and keystrokes by setting up a defined series of commands with specific settings and in a specific order that you apply in a single step, known as an “action.” You can apply an action to a single document, to several documents, or to an entire collection of documents. Both Acrobat Standard and Pro provide some predefined actions. Further, Adobe Acrobat X Pro lets you export and import actions so that you can share actions with others.

Security/Metadata. Acrobat Standard and Pro feature robust security options. Password and certificate policies settings permit you to reuse security policies to encrypt PDFs without setting up the password or certificate for each instance. You can strip metadata from your PDF with security features as well.

Other Useful Features

Redaction. Acrobat Pro includes a full redaction tool to permit you to remove or permanently block sensitive content from your PDF. Once redacted and saved, no one can see what was under the redacted block.

Sanitizing a PDF. The Remove Hidden Information feature permits you to remove metadata, hidden data, comments and attachments. There is also a Sanitize tool that automates the removal of hidden data (such as metadata).

Digital Signatures (including Echo Sign). Digital signatures, similar to a handwritten signature, can be used to approve documents and create legally binding acceptance. However, unlike a handwritten signature, digital signatures will verify your identity. A digital signature serves to protect the integrity and authenticity of a document as of the time it was signed. A PDF digital signature may include a photo, image or other personal details. Document authors can attest to the contents of their documents by adding a certifying statement. Recently, Adobe acquired Echo Sign. Subsequent to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (e-Sign Act of 2000; www.ftc.gov/os/2001/06/esign7.htm), standards were established regarding the legality of electronic signatures for use in e-commerce and other contractual agreements. To date, the legal industry has been slow to adopt electronic signatures. But, the advancements by Adobe EchoSign (AES) may be on the cusp of changing that. Once signed, to keep in compliance with the e-Sign Act, AES provides consumer disclosure notifying signers that they are giving consent to transact business using electronic communications.

Review/Tracker. PDFs can be reviewed individually by sending a PDF to a reviewer via e-mail. Acrobat also includes commenting tools and a document message bar with instructions. Use the commenting tools to add comments to the PDF and then submit them. Review initiators can set instructions, deadlines and limits on what is to be reviewed.

Adobe Send Now Online. Sending large PDFs can still be a challenge for many e-mail providers and exchange servers. “Adobe Send Now” online is built into Acrobat X, permitting a user to upload a large PDF document, envelope or portfolio, with or without encryption and conditions. Recipients have to establish an Adobe ID and password and log in to download the large item. This saves time and pressure on the typical exchange server and avoids issues blocking attachments due to size.

Closing Argument

PDF is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware and operating systems. It continues to be of growing importance in law firms as lawyers collaborate on documents, adopt electronic signatures, and electronically file pleadings in jurisdictions that require it. In the United States, almost every state has jurisdictions where the court has implemented e-filing, which essentially manages litigation more effectively. Finally, because PDFs are operating system agnostic, sending a PDF to another for review or in portfolio or envelope form includes a virtual guarantee that the recipient will be able to open, comment, manipulate and comply with the sender's request.

If you haven't embraced the advanced functions of Acrobat Standard or Pro, now is the time to learn and master PDF functionality at your law firm ' broader adoption of PDF use is in your future.