Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Any lawyer understands the importance of document management.

Important papers pass through the office daily and establishing an organized system for storing and sharing files becomes a necessary practice. But pieces of paper can quickly turn into mountains of records, low-quality photocopies can cause unnecessary eye strain and vital data can get lost in the shuffle.

Those looking for a technological solution to the paper problem may find PDFs to be ideal.

PDFs have been around since the early days of the World Wide Web. Short for “portable document format,” these documents are not only easy to create and share, they are also readable and storable on a computer. They can hold up to hundreds of pages and can include text, spreadsheets and other graphics.

While it may be difficult to get used to processing a document on the computer rather than in print, using PDFs instead of paper files ultimately improves efficiency, reduces cost and saves time.

Not convinced? Here are some ways you can use PDFs to benefit your law practice:

View high-quality documents. Unlike faxed or printed documents, PDFs retain their high level of quality. This versatile format will retain the look of the original document, keeping font, color and graphics intact.

To open a PDF file, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. But if you use the Internet with any regularity, you probably already have this program installed. In fact, the reader is so popular that many new computers come with it already in place. Otherwise, the program is free and downloadable from the Internet at www.adobe.com.

Stay current with technology. The free Acrobat Reader, however, only provides limited resources. To get the maximum use out of PDF technology, your office should have the tools necessary to create and edit PDFs. You’ll first need to invest in a scanner – a crucial piece of hardware for creating PDFs. Scanners come in all sizes and price ranges and are available at any electronics store. However, you may find them cheaper through online retailers. Also, many newer copy machines have scanners built in. Check with the manufacturer if you’re unsure.

Additionally, your firm will need to invest in PDF management software. The full version of Adobe Acrobat works with your scanner to build PDF files. The program allows you to add, delete and move around pages as needed. With the software installed on your computer, you can also convert documents from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook into PDFs. While Acrobat is the most popular software, it can be somewhat costly. The full standard version retails at $299. There are, however, cheaper alternatives (see sidebar).

Replace your fax machine. Fax machines have been a fixture in law offices for decades. They have been the go-to method for transmitting documents in their original format. But PDFs are just as easy – and much more efficient – for doing the same job.

By scanning and e-mailing rather than faxing, the recipient will have a much cleaner copy of the document, and you will save money on paper and ink, as well as your phone bill. And unlike sharing a word processed file, you don’t have to worry about whether the recipient has the same program or compatible font settings installed on their computer. PDFs are universal, and will display correctly and keep their appearance in any browser or operating system. And where a word-processed document can be altered or mined for metadata, what you see is what you get with a PDF.

Create a storage solution. Think about every document you print out and file. In some offices, this could easily add up to tens of thousands of sheets of paper, creating a space issue. The solution? Instead of printing out documents and stashing them away in a file cabinet, create an electronic database.

PDFs are ideal for record storage and space saving, and with PDF software, you can even combine multiple sources into one file. For example, if you wanted to save all e-mail correspondence, scans of hard copy letters, court documents and notes from one client into a single document, you could create it through Acrobat.

To store PDF files, you can use your computer’s hard drive, an external hard drive, a firm-wide server or a removable disc. Just be sure to come up with an organized and logical system for filing and storing, especially if you need to make the documents accessible to others in you office.

PDFs on the Internet. In addition to being exchanged among individuals, PDFs can also be uploaded onto the Internet and shared with the world at large. Courts, for example, use the PDF format for posting opinions. To build PDF pages on the Web, talk to the person in charge of your firm’s site. Or, if this isn’t an option, there are third party sites that can host PDF pages for you (FileDen.com and PDFCast.org, among others). Once a PDF is established as a Web page, you can post the link through your firm’s site or share it through electronic mailing lists, forums, blogs and other social media.

When scanning a document, make sure you enable text recognition through OCR (the option should appear in a pop-up box at the start of each scan). With OCR enabled, your PDF program will create your document with searchable text. Anyone who downloads the PDF can search it for relevant terms. It will also allow the document to come up in Google searches.

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