Free Tools for Attorneys, Paralegals, and Legal Staff
Your client files cannot leave the firm's security perimeter. Most "free online PDF tools" fail ABA Model Rule 1.6 — they upload privileged material to servers you don't control. Every tool here runs in your browser. Nothing uploads. Nothing is retained. You can use them on an airplane with Wi-Fi off, after the page loads.
What Slows You Down
- ABA Rule 1.6 and state-bar ethics rules make uploading client documents to random websites a malpractice risk.
- Legal tech (iManage, NetDocuments, Relativity, Kofax) runs $50–200/user/month for basic document handling features.
- Discovery production needs Bates numbering, redaction, and metadata sanitization — the trinity most free tools don't cover well.
- Solo practitioners and small firms can't justify enterprise legal tech pricing for client volume that doesn't support it.
Tools Built for Your Workflow
True redaction (not just black boxes on top). Removes the underlying text so it cannot be un-redacted.
Apply Bates stamps to discovery production — PREFIX-000001 through PREFIX-NNNNNN.
Add exhibit stamps, confidentiality designations, or filed-date markings.
Strip author, track changes history, and revision metadata before producing externally.
Password-protect a draft brief or settlement offer before emailing.
Side-by-side diff between two contract versions or draft revisions.
Flatten form fields and comments into static content before filing.
Combine exhibits into a single production PDF.
Reorganize page order for exhibit binders or deposition designations.
Turn a stack of paper discovery into a searchable PDF.
Digitize handwritten client notes, deposition annotations, or witness statements.
Make scanned documents searchable — critical for document review.
Scan paper documents with a phone into clean PDFs.
Pull text from screenshots of evidence — text messages, social media, chat logs.
Shrink a production to fit court e-filing size limits.
Get a quick summary of a long deposition transcript or opinion (always verify).
Bluebook-ish formatting aid — verify against your jurisdiction's specific rules.
Common Use Cases
Prepare a discovery production
Merge exhibits → redact privileged content → apply Bates numbers → sanitize metadata → compress to filing limit. All browser-based; client files never leave your laptop.
Compare two contract drafts
Compare PDF produces a side-by-side diff so you can see exactly what changed between opposing counsel's revisions.
Sanitize a brief before serving opposing counsel
Metadata sanitizer strips track changes, comments, and author info. Critical — authors have been sanctioned for failing this step.
Digitize a client's paper file
Multi-page scanner → PDF OCR → searchable PDF. Paralegal can run the whole intake without uploading anything.
Handle evidence screenshots
Screenshot text extractor pulls text from text-message screenshots, Slack logs, and email images for OCR-friendly exhibits.
Redact SSN/PII from a client document
True redaction removes underlying text — not just visual overlay. Passes the "copy-paste test" that exposed DOJ filings in past high-profile redaction failures.
What You’d Otherwise Pay For
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC — $20/mo/user (free via our PDF suite)
- iManage or NetDocuments — $50–100/mo/user (free for file-level utilities; your DMS still needed for matter-level organization)
- Kofax Power PDF — $15/mo/user (free here)
- Specialized redaction tools — $20–40/mo (free here, with true redaction)
- Standalone Bates-numbering software — $50–200 one-time (free here)
All of the above covered, free, in your browser. No subscription. No signup.
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Questions
Is this compatible with ABA Model Rule 1.6 and state ethics rules?
Because client files process locally in your browser and never transmit to us, these tools generally satisfy the "reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure" standard far better than any upload-based tool. Read our Privacy Policy and Terms with your firm's ethics/compliance counsel for your specific state's rules.
Is the redaction tool "true" redaction or just visual?
True redaction — it removes the underlying text from the PDF structure, not just overlays a black box. A reader who copies from the redacted section gets nothing. This is the standard DOJ and federal courts expect.
Can I use this in a matter under a protective order?
Check the specific protective order's terms. Most orders prohibit uploading to third-party cloud services — which this isn't. But review the order with counsel before using any tool on subject material.
Does the Bates numbering handle very large productions?
Browser-based processing works well up to a few hundred pages per file. For productions exceeding 10,000 pages, a dedicated desktop tool (or a litigation support vendor) is more practical.
Are the AI tools safe for privileged content?
Our AI tools run on in-browser models (Gemini Nano via Chrome) — content is not sent to external AI APIs. However, even with in-browser models, AI output should never be relied on without attorney review, especially for legal analysis.
Open Any Tool, Get to Work
350+ tools across 34 categories. Your files stay on your device.
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