Lawyers are increasingly using PDF files. Lawyers are finding PDFs useful when negotiating and finalizng contracts, because the documents are less susceptible to tampering than other file formats. Courts are also jumping on the trend, with some now requiring lawyers to file pleadings in PDF format.
The blogging-famous Ernie the Attorney has even started www.PDFforLawyers.com and a newsletter to document this trend. And provide useful PDF tips to attorneys and judges in the process.
Of course, you don’t have to be in the legal business to find many of Ernie the Attorney’s PDF tips helpful. Even fascinating. Did you know that when you make changes in a Word document, all of your changes show up in the metadata for those-in-the-know to discover? But if you convert the document to a PDF file, the reader can’t track the changes you made. This is great to know for the paranoid among us.
The growth of PDF usage by lawyers is part of a larger trend in the growth in popularity of PDF files. According to Adobe System’s CEO, Bruce Chizen, about 12 million people use Adobe to create PDFs today.
The majority of lawyers and law firms are quintessential examples of small businesses, along with doctors, accountants, dentists and similar professionals.
That was interesting article about PDF files usage.