Law Practice Today

Today, every law office needs the ability to create and work with PDF documents. The federal courts require documents be filed in PDF format, careful attorneys use PDF conversion to wipe out meta-data that may compromise confidential information, PDF is the standard format for scanning and storage in a paperless office environment, and can be used to simplify production of document discovery and production of secure document packages. Tools for creating a simple PDF file can be found in most word-processing software. For example, WordPerfect and OpenOffice have included PDF tools allowing users to create PDF files and import from PDF for some time. Microsoft Word has only recently provided a download that gives users the ability to export and save to PDF.

I have started using Nuance’s PDF Converter 5 Professional Enterprise edition as a low cost alternative to Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro because it provides all of the critical features found in Adobe Acrobat 9 Professional for only $149.00. The Enterprise Edition includes some critical feature enhancements from the $99.00 PDF Professional edition. In particular, Enterprise includes the ability to bates number and redact information. However, before purchasing a particular version you should look at the feature list to determine which edition of PDF Converter you may want. PDF Converter 5 easily meets my basic requirements when choosing software: it was easy to implement, it provides intuitive PDF creation and high quality conversion from PDF to Word, and I find myself continuing to use PDF Converter 5 as my first choice for working with PDF files.

I have had two issues arise that I find to be an annoyance. I found that Nuance’s requirement that software be both registered and activated through an on-line process a nuisance. I have also found that the Nuance programs repeatedly request that I register products long after I have done so. I also had to seek out one upgrade to fix a PDF Converter error opening multiple Microsoft Explorer windows. The upgrade resolved that issue.

Using PDF Converter 5 Pro Enterprise

For most attorneys, the most common use of PDF creation software is to convert Microsoft Word documents into the PDF format. PDF Converter 5, like Acrobat, is inserted as a toolbar ribbon in my Microsoft applications. As a user of Microsoft Word 2007, I click on the Nuance PDF toolbar, select Create PDF, and then my PDF file is created and ready to be saved in the folder that I have selected. In the alternative, I can create and email the PDF file. The same functionality exists in Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel 2007. This function is very easy to use.

I also use PDF Converter 5 in Microsoft Outlook when I am closing a client file. I prefer to archive the existing client e-mails with the primary electronic client file folder, outside of Outlook’s PST files. Again, I can easily accomplish this using PDF Converter 5. First, I simply select the e-mails which I wish to archive, I start the PDF converter from its toolbar, I choose a PDF format and how I wish to keep the file (i.e., in one PDF file, archived separately, or made into a PDF package). In addition, I may choose if I wish to have all e-mail attachments attached to the PDF file. This ability to include e-mail attachments allows me to create a complete archive solution for each client.

The conversion of PDF documents into acceptable Microsoft Word documents is where PDF Converter 5 shines. This conversion is made using optical character recognition. The conversion can be started in Word or PDF Converter 5. In PDF Converter 5, the "convert PDF" button allows me to convert PDF files to a selection of formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and WordPerfect. With one click I have a usable document. I tested this tool when I recently received a highly formatted PDF file containing multiple columns with text in the middle. I wanted to compare the text with my original Word document. I converted the PDF file to Word in PDF Converter 5. The Word document was a clean conversion which converted all of the words correctly and without the multiple text boxes which used to make such conversions useless. There was also no problem with the multiple columns causing on-going formatting issues. I quickly ran a compare documents in Word and confirmed the changes which had been made. My experience with conversion is that this is one tool where PDF Converter is clearly superior to the conversions that I have done using Adobe Acrobat 9.

Every year I receive more documents in PDF format. I often like to comment and edit right in the PDF document and then return the file with my comments and edits. Again, this can be easily done in PDF Converter 5 and such edits and comments can be seen in other PDF programs, especially Adobe Acrobat and Reader. The tools provided let me highlight, cross out, and underline text. I can insert and delete text, create a comment box where I can insert specific comments about a particular issue. The revisions can then be shared with other users, including those using Adobe Acrobat. Also, like Adobe Acrobat you can package documents, either in one PDF file or in a binder format. These packages can include documents in a non-PDF format. Finally, it gives you the increasingly important ability to secure documents with digital signatures, password security, and 128-bit encryption certificate security.

Creation of fillable electronic forms is a feature that I often use. Again, PDF Converter 5 makes form creation easy. I open the future form, run FormTyper, and I now have a form which has intuitively selected the fillable area and what type of information will be needed: text, numbers, or check boxes. If additional work is necessary, then the form toolbar gives you the ability to correct any errors. You can also publish the form on-line to collect data and import data for use in other applications. This feature can be used internally to collect information related to employees, clients, or for conflict checks.

For attorneys who need to bates-stamp documents or produce redacted version of documents then the Enterprise edition makes these jobs fairly simple. To bates stamp documents you can choose one or more files and place them in the order to be stamped, you choose the format of the bates numbering, where on the document you want to place the stamp, add a prefix or suffix to identify the source of the documents. This tool is a real time-saver for a litigation attorney or their staff.

The redaction tool is also very effective. I tested this feature by selecting the words to redact by reading through the document and highlighting the redacted word by hand. I then also tested the ability to mark the document for redaction by using the search function. The words to be redacted are marked, a summary is created, and then you apply the redaction. Also, if you need to identify the reason for the redaction you can use the “redaction tool properties” to insert the basis for the redaction within the redacted area. There is always the need for caution because the redaction is permanent. Save the redacted file as a new file.

Final Thoughts

I would not hesitate to purchase PDF Converter 5 Pro Enterprise and I would recommend it to most attorneys. It provides all of the critical tools needed by a modern law office to work with PDF.