PDF and the Holy Grail

For many years there has been a demand for a universal format to allow people to share their ideas and work digitally across a wide variety of machine configurations, operating systems and communication networks and, more recently, on the Internet. Moreover, these documents should be viewable on any display and should be printable on any modern printers. After all, you don’t want to have to worry about your co-workers you are sharing your work with, not being able to open your files!

Most programs these days print to a wide range of printers, but there is no universal way to communicate and view this printed information electronically. The FAX machine has gone part the way to solving the problem but often the poor quality, the high communication bandwidth and the device specific nature of FAX has made the solution less than desirable.

In the legal office, more than ever, there is a need to send and archive documents that meet legal requirements. A document must be kept in a format that can’t be changed or altered over time. Traditional archiving methods (paper and microfilm / microfiche) guarantee that documents can be reproduced but are out-dated for modern technology. Large documents cannot be quickly sent around and it is extremely difficult to search archived documents for specific content.

Enter Adobe Acrobat

So how do you move documents across networks and platforms?

For over 30 years people have been trying to solve the problem. IBM tried it and so did DEC. Microsoft® thought that Microsoft® Word was the answer! Enter Adobe Acrobat and the PDF (Portable Document Format) format. It was not until Adobe’s decision to give away the Acrobat Reader free of charge and the rise of the Internet that things have started to improve. Today, PDF is prevalent in public and private sectors worldwide and is already an accepted archiving format in countless markets.

PDF in the Legal Office

Document security is vital to any business sharing information over a network, over an intranet or over the Internet. By using the PDF format, organisations are able to put user-password security at the document level. This allows emailing of documents between people or locations without the fear of an unauthorised person viewing the document.

For an electronic document to be admissible in a court of law, it must be created in a file format that cannot be altered without leaving an electronic footprint. A PDF file is a "read only" document that cannot be altered without leaving an electronic footprint.

Furthermore, the PDF format is practical and economical by allowing the documents to be stored on a company's server. This eliminates the need for additional hardware (except for additional hard drive space) and allows for exceptional integration into any network.

Other Advantages of the PDF Format

• An electronic document converted into the PDF format compresses to approximately 25% of its original size. This size reduction allows the PDF document to open quickly at the workstation and makes it ideal for use on a network, Internet or intranet.
• You can often also combine and merge multiple documents into one single PDF, e.g. spreadsheets, Microsoft® Word documents.
• PDF files are compatible across multiple platforms. PDF files can be opened on basically any system.
• Software to view PDF Files is completely free. Software like Acrobat Reader to open PDF Files can be downloaded for free, and is already installed on most computers.

PDF files are here to stay

The widespread governmental use of the PDF format for archiving and sharing documentation virtually guarantees that the PDF file will remain as a long-term format standard. The UK Government now requires compliance with open standards and they have included the PDF format (e.g. ISO 19005-1:2005 (“PDF”) in all solutions where feasible and will make this a required standard for government websites

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download the latest version of Adobe Reader here.

PDF integration in LAWFUSION

As well as producing and managing a whole variety of different documents, LAWFUSION has the capability of converting them into PDF format. This can be done in a variety of ways and is intuitive in its implementation. For example, the system is capable of assembling a document bundle as a single PDF document with an index when required.

• The LAWFUSION Case Management system ensures you can automatically convert documents into PDF and send them via your e-mail client with just the click of a button.
• The LAWFUSION Document Assembler tool can create one document from many. It allows users to collate numerous documents together, add an index sheet to the front document and also add pagination to the assembled document.
• It includes a “document converter” to convert Microsoft® Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®, PowerPoint®, Laserforms, Crystal reports, etc.

Within LAWFUSION, every letter, document and form generated can also be dispatched automatically or manually by print, fax or e-mail with optional conversion into PDF form if required.