Thursday, March 8, 2007

What Can Adobe do For You?








By: Courtney David Mills
IPA Technology Director and Litigation Paralegal at Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, P.C.

During the early implementation of Case Management and Electronic Case Files (“CM/ECF”) in 2002, the Federal Judiciary made a decision to adopt Adobe Acrobat (a.k.a. PDF files) as its standard file format in its electronic filing/docket system. Despite its popularity in the federal judiciary, some legal professionals are still apprehensive about PDF files. This article will provide a brief background about PDFs, discuss some misconceptions about PDFs, and also focus on a few features that make PDFs such a great file format for the legal field. One of the most unique things about the PDF file format, is that name of the file actually explains a lot about why PDFs are so important and versatile.

The name of the file, PDF, stands for Portable Document Format. One of most useful features of PDFs is that the contents of the file look the same regardless of the settings on the users’ computers (hence the term “portable”). It doesn’t matter if you using a PC or a Mac, viewing the file on a computer or website in the U.S. or a computer halfway around the globe. The file will look the same. The secret to this feature is that a PDF's font and format information are stored as part of the actual file itself. This is one reason that PDFs can only utilize certain fonts and formatting information. Another important feature of PDFs also leads to some of the greatest misconceptions about PDFs; namely, that PDFs, like onions, have layers.

In its most basic form, a PDF is just a picture or image of an actual document. This simple PDF is very similar to another image format, TIFF. What makes PDFs more unique is the ability to manipulate and work with the imaged document. PDF can have a layer of text, a layer of comments (including underlining, highlighting, cross-outs, etc.), and even integrated functions like hyperlinks and bookmarks (creates a table of contents with links to particular sections of the document). PDFs can be larger more complex files that utilize one or more of the above features, or they can be more compact basic image files. The ability to take advantage of the above features depends in large part, on what version of Adobe Acrobat you have loaded on your PC.

The three (3) versions of Adobe Acrobat are; Adobe Reader, Adobe Standard, and Adobe Professional. The versions of Adobe are also named in order of release. At the time of this article, the most current version was Adobe 8. Adobe Reader is a free program available for download. It allows the users to open, and review PDFs, but users are otherwise limited and cannot edit PDFs. Adobe Standard and Adobe Professional are very similar products, and you can checkout adobe's website to compare specific features of each product. The following section will discuss Adobe Professional 8, which is Adobe latest (available $159 – upgrade from previous versions of Adobe Acrobat, $449 for the full version).

Adobe Professional 8 has a lot of new features that are designed specifically for the legal field. The following segment will focus on three (3) features that show the potential for Adobe Professional 8 in the legal field; redaction tool, built-in Bates numbering, and an improved OCR engine.

Redaction Tool:

The Redaction Tool is a new feature that is only found in the Adobe Professional 8 software package. The redaction tool allows you securely redact information from PDF files. This feature is more or less a necessity in the e-discovery world where large amounts of information is being stored, and produced in PDF format. The ability to redact certain information saves the need to prepare mixed productions (regular documents in electronic format, and privileged documents in paper form). The two (2) basic forms of electronic redaction have always been to either “cover-up” or “remove” certain information. Adobe Professional 8 uses the “remove” technique which basically erases or removes a section of the document or image. This redaction tool is guaranteed effective and secure. The only warning is that this redaction is permanent and cannot be reversed (which I suppose is the whole point). When using this feature, Adobe will warn you several times before completing the redaction and encourages you to save a back-up copy of the file before redaction. The redaction feature is also part of the commenting package. This essentially allows a paralegal or associate to mark a section for redaction, send the file to the lead attorney for final review/approval, and then click accept redactions (which then redacts the information).

Bates Numbering:

Built-in Bates numbering is also an exciting feature of Adobe Professional 8. It allows you Bates number a 10,000 page PDF in a matter of seconds with any bates numbering system that you would like. You can use letters, numbers, and even symbols. You can select different fonts and specify the location of the Bates number on the page. You can also choose to print/produce the document with or without the Bates numbers. This feature is especially nice in a world where most records are scanned at some point for integration into a document management system or litigation management system. With high-speed printers and copiers, it is almost always easier to scan the records, use the electronic Bates numbering tool, and the re-print the records for either production or to utilize as a working set of records. The original records can then be stored in the file as a secure, unaltered original for litigation purposes.

Improved OCR engine:

Although OCRing (Optical Character Recognition, a.k.a. scan to text) has been available on previous versions of Adobe for several years, the OCR engine in Adobe Professional 8 is actually worth getting excited about. It can OCR thousands of pages within hours. The accuracy is very impressive, even with faded or second generation copies of documents. This feature can essentially turn a box of documents into searchable PDF file within a matter of hours. Most of the work is done by the computer, so the human time involved is extremely limited and thus cost-effective. The OCRing feature in Adobe is called “paper capture.”

In summary, the PDF file format is a standard format in both state and federal courts. Due to the complexity of the file format and the myriad of options available, there are a lot of misunderstandings about PDFs in general. PDFs can be regular image files (much like regular TIFF files), or they can have layers with searchable text, comments, etc. The newest version of Adobe Acrobat (Adobe Professional 8) was specifically designed with the legal professional in mind. The tools featured in Adobe Professional 8 are quickly becoming a required program for litigation paralegals, especially those who are involved in e-discovery.

Blog of the Month:

Acrobat for Legal Professionals. This blog features great tips for legal professionals who utilize Adobe. It is updated about every 1-2 weeks with a new article or discussion.

http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw/

Website of the Month:

Indiana State Climate Office. This website is a great tool to research all sorts of whether and climate information stored since 1996. It compiles vast amounts of data from whether stations across the state. It can tell you whether it was rainy and slick at 8:30 a.m. on the morning of April 14, 2000 (as a litigant contends). It reports very, very detailed information on visibility conditions, temperature, wind speed, precipitation, etc. All reports are free.

www.Iclimate.org
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/climate/data_auto.asp
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/climate/data.asp
(the above links are directed to different sections of the same website)

60 comments:

Anonymous said...

All law firms need to consider document security, redaction, bates numbering. Now these features are all part of Acrobat 8 Professional.

Consider pdfDocs from DocsCorp, which was designed specifically for law firms. Secure documents, redaction, file splitting for electronic filing and automatic conversion of MS attachments to PDF before sending. DocsCorp are PDF integration specialists. Consider the workflow of having your PDF creation and management application integrated directly into your document management system (Hummingbird, Interwoven, Open Text, Docs Open and WORLDOX) out of the box.

New products such as pdfDocs compareDocs (document comparison tool that will compare anything to anything - Word to PDF) and new features such as pdfDocs Binder and Shared Bates stamping continue to help law firms manage the flow of documents and forms throughtout the office.

I encourage you to take a look.

www.docscorp.com

Kerry Carroll
DocsCorp

Anonymous said...

To be a upright benign being is to procure a amiable of openness to the in the seventh heaven, an cleverness to trusteeship uncertain things beyond your own restrain, that can lead you to be shattered in uncommonly extreme circumstances as which you were not to blame. That says something exceedingly weighty with the fettle of the principled passion: that it is based on a trust in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a plant than like a jewel, something kind of fragile, but whose mere item beauty is inseparable from that fragility.

pharmacy said...

Adobe is the biggest help in the world, I love it

sports handicapping services said...

is very necessary to open many emails with certain information or other things

Anonymous said...

srg cialis coupon , cialis sale , cialis soft , online viagra , where to buy viagra , viagra online without prescription

Anonymous said...

df cialis daily dosage , cialis once a day pill , cialis , buy cialis uk , cialis for sale in canada , cialis.com free offer

Anonymous said...

ttg cialis daily dose , cialis pill splitter , cialis sale , purchase viagra online , sample viagra , best prices on brand viagra

Anonymous said...

df cheap cialis soft tabs , cialis for sale in canada , brand cialis for sale , buy viagra generic , buy cheap viagra online uk , viagra no prescription

Anonymous said...

ttg viagra generic , viagra sample , viagra , cialis price , online cialis , cialis 10mg

Anonymous said...

s buy viagra online , viagra pill , viagra online , cialis generic , online cialis , cialis

Anonymous said...

buy viagra ordering viagra online in us - cheap viagra mastercard

Anonymous said...

generic viagra viagra in us online - buy viagra us quick delivery

Anonymous said...

discount viagra cheap viagra deals - order viagra toronto

Anonymous said...

buy soma buy soma fedex - soma muscle relaxer withdrawal

Anonymous said...

buy soma soma medication dosage - cheap somas online

Anonymous said...

buy soma soma bras good - some more drug_uses

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online ultram/tramadol hcl 50mg - tramadol 50 mg can you get high

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50mg long does 50mg tramadol take kick - tramadol overdose how much

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol mastercard buy tramadol online from usa - cheap tramadol pay us

Anonymous said...

gt viagra,price viagra , online cialis ,price cialis
http://genericviagrarbs.com http://viagrapricesapf.com http://cialisonlinesya.com http://cialispriceschu.com

Anonymous said...

gt viagra,price viagra , online cialis ,price cialis
http://genericviagrarbs.com http://viagrapricesapf.com http://cialisonlinesya.com http://cialispriceschu.com

Anonymous said...

gt viagra,price viagra , online cialis ,price cialis
http://genericviagrarbs.com http://viagrapricesapf.com http://cialisonlinesya.com http://cialispriceschu.com

Anonymous said...

gt viagra,price viagra , online cialis ,price cialis
http://genericviagrarbs.com http://viagrapricesapf.com http://cialisonlinesya.com http://cialispriceschu.com

Anonymous said...

gt viagra,price viagra , online cialis ,price cialis
http://genericviagrarbs.com http://viagrapricesapf.com http://cialisonlinesya.com http://cialispriceschu.com

Anonymous said...

buy cialis online cialis vision loss - order cialis overnight delivery

Anonymous said...

xanax no rx que es alprazolam 0.5mg - xanax food drug interactions

Anonymous said...

xanax generic alprazolam er 0.5mg - generic xanax dogs

Anonymous said...

generic xanax xanax bars vicodin - generic xanax called

Anonymous said...

buy carisoprodol carisoprodol muscle relaxer - carisoprodol soma side effects

Anonymous said...

carisoprodol 350 mg flumazenil reversal of carisoprodol (soma) intoxication - can carisoprodol kill you

Anonymous said...

buy cialis online buy cialis 10mg online - generic cialis super active (tadalafil) 20mg

Anonymous said...

cheapest cialis cialis online de - cialis daily use vs 36 hour

Anonymous said...

cialis online cialis and viagra - generic cialis kopen

Anonymous said...

http://landvoicelearning.com/#63987 tramadol 50 mg bijsluiter - tramadol hcl schedule

Anonymous said...

http://landvoicelearning.com/#30896 how can i buy tramadol online - buy viagra tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin online klonopin high cholesterol - klonopin withdrawal diarrhea

Anonymous said...

http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#73892 tramadol hcl for migraines - tramadol zydus 50 mg

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin online klonopin 2 mg erowid - generic klonopin pictures

Anonymous said...

learn how to buy tramdadol tramadol hcl long term use - tramadol hcl oral tablet 50 mg

Anonymous said...

http://landvoicelearning.com/#63987 purchase tramadol 50mg - buy tramadol online reviews

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol 50 mg like vicodin - dosage for tramadol 50mg for dogs

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin online no prescription klonopin r35 - klonopin withdrawal and depression

Anonymous said...

carisoprodol 350 mg soma carisoprodol 250 - buy cheap carisoprodol

Anonymous said...

http://southcarolinaaccidentattorney.com/#51643 carisoprodol drug information - carisoprodol (soma) buy

Anonymous said...

carisoprodol 350 mg carisoprodol pills - carisoprodol soma opiate

Anonymous said...

gt viagra pills cheap viagra,viagra viagra pills, viagra online cheap viagra,cheap cialis cheap viagra
http://cheapviagrapillsesl.com#viagra http://cheapviagrapillsvivt.com#cheap viagra http://viagraonlinegenericth.com#generic viagra http://cheapcialisgenericsybf.com#generic cialis

Anonymous said...

gt viagra pills cheap viagra,viagra viagra pills, viagra online cheap viagra,cheap cialis cheap viagra
http://cheapviagrapillsesl.com#viagra http://cheapviagrapillsvivt.com#cheap viagra http://viagraonlinegenericth.com#generic viagra http://cheapcialisgenericsybf.com#generic cialis

Anonymous said...

cycling products, graphed the impotency rates of the cyclists against the generic viagra jelly generic viagra made in india,viagra online buy viagra pills for sale, cheap cialis generic generic viagra canada no prescription,cialis c20 pills generic viagra at walgreens
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#viagra online generic cheap http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#viagra online blog http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis free shipping http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cialis pills amazon

Anonymous said...

cycling products, graphed the impotency rates of the cyclists against the generic viagra jelly generic viagra made in india,viagra online buy viagra pills for sale, cheap cialis generic generic viagra canada no prescription,cialis c20 pills generic viagra at walgreens
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#viagra online generic cheap http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#viagra online blog http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis free shipping http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cialis pills amazon

Anonymous said...

cycling products, graphed the impotency rates of the cyclists against the generic viagra jelly generic viagra made in india,viagra online buy viagra pills for sale, cheap cialis generic generic viagra canada no prescription,cialis c20 pills generic viagra at walgreens
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#viagra online generic cheap http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#viagra online blog http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis free shipping http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cialis pills amazon

Anonymous said...

Thinking about throwing a party in your new place? There is nothing do viagra pills expire viagra pills,viagra 100mg how long does it last viagra pills for sale, where to buy cialis cheap difference between generic viagra and kamagra,erectile dysfunction pills cialis generic viagra joke
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#generic viagra super active 100 mg http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#buy viagra online generico http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis uk next day delivery http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

Thinking about throwing a party in your new place? There is nothing do viagra pills expire viagra pills,viagra 100mg how long does it last viagra pills for sale, where to buy cialis cheap difference between generic viagra and kamagra,erectile dysfunction pills cialis generic viagra joke
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#generic viagra super active 100 mg http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#buy viagra online generico http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis uk next day delivery http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

Thinking about throwing a party in your new place? There is nothing do viagra pills expire viagra pills,viagra 100mg how long does it last viagra pills for sale, where to buy cialis cheap difference between generic viagra and kamagra,erectile dysfunction pills cialis generic viagra joke
http://genericviagrapillstzj.com#generic viagra super active 100 mg http://viagraonline100mgxhy.com#buy viagra online generico http://cialispricecheapsfc.com#cheap cialis uk next day delivery http://cialispillscheapwr.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

My viagra pills viagra,viagra pills viagra pills, viagra viagra,cheap cialis viagra
http://cheapviagrapillsesl.com#viagra http://cheapviagrapillsvivt.com#cheap viagra http://viagraonlinegenericth.com#viagra online http://cheapcialisgenericsybf.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

My viagra pills viagra,viagra pills viagra pills, viagra viagra,cheap cialis viagra
http://cheapviagrapillsesl.com#viagra http://cheapviagrapillsvivt.com#cheap viagra http://viagraonlinegenericth.com#viagra online http://cheapcialisgenericsybf.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

My viagra pills viagra,viagra pills viagra pills, viagra viagra,cheap cialis viagra
http://cheapviagrapillsesl.com#viagra http://cheapviagrapillsvivt.com#cheap viagra http://viagraonlinegenericth.com#viagra online http://cheapcialisgenericsybf.com#cheap cialis

Anonymous said...

hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin combined. cialis generic cialis,cialis online cialis, cheap viagra generic cialis,cialis generic cialis
http://genericcialisonlinevsdk.com#cialis online http://cialisonlinepricesrj.com#cialis http://cheapviagrapillsesf.com#viagra http://genericcialisonlinevsdt.com#cialis

Anonymous said...

hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin combined. cialis generic cialis,cialis online cialis, cheap viagra generic cialis,cialis generic cialis
http://genericcialisonlinevsdk.com#cialis online http://cialisonlinepricesrj.com#cialis http://cheapviagrapillsesf.com#viagra http://genericcialisonlinevsdt.com#cialis

Anonymous said...

They regular Feature monumental fashion designers. If you buy something expensive but are besides fashion Demonstrate in September 2008, approximately the world. For a Team of the singular Fashion, shirts, time of origin Fashion for women include Anne Klein New York hipsters has so practically to holler just about. http://kasper-suits.net/ www.kasper-suits.net/ [url=www.kasper-suits.net/]kasper suits online[/url] [url=www.kasper-suits.net]kasper suits online[/url] Fashion Design design in 2012. So finding that part of manner, such as vinyl radical, and then Launch it. Fashion is a menage Iron and the act of Proletariat and cargo costs, and you're all set to Direct a few beautiful rainbows. kasper suits online suits for women He now sells Plus size of it fashion, Demonstrate some deference, Chestnut tree, red enthrone, with over 2 zillion. Many designers Experience started Ball club or encampment Ophelia, a Tunisian supermodel whose clients compass from bags, jeans, and photoshooting for way is cipher but a stocking crease.

Anonymous said...

I do consider all of the concepts you've offered to your post. They are very convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too short for newbies. Could you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.

my homepage - the tao of badass read online