Use PDF Expert to Sign and Send Pleadings

PDF Expert is the perfect tool for processing .pdf documents on the iPad.

Now, you can sign and send pleadings on the go – no more printing or scanning. It’s like a late-night infomercial for civil litigation: there’s dicing! there’s slicing! there’s signatures and page merging and highlighting! The app is similar to Adobe Acrobat at a fraction of the cost.

Here’s a how you can use PDF Expert to sign, annotate, and work with electronic pleadings.

Tip #1 – “Open-in” PDF Expert

You should store your pleadings in GoodReader ($4.99), which is basically the iPad’s file cabinet. When you create a pleading on your desktop, send it to Dropbox (or email it to your iPad) and save it to the client file in GoodReader.

When you need advanced features – signing, stamping, and combining – use PDF Expert ($9.99). To send a document from GoodReader to PDF Expert, click on the file in GoodReader:

Click on the bow-and-arrow action button in the lower right and select “open-in”>”send file as-is”> PDF Expert:

A copy of the document will appear in the PDF Expert app:

If you are combining multiple pleadings, such a motion and proposed order, send each of those documents to PDF Expert using the “open-in” feature so that you can work with them later.

Tip #2 – Signing Documents

To sign a document, open your pleading then press and release on the signature line:

Select “Signature”>”My Signature” to use your standard signature:

You can also select “Signature”>”Customer Signature” if someone else (such as your client) has to sign the pleading.

To add text, click on the “T” icon in the upper-right corner and tap where you want to type text on the pleading. Click on the check mark when you are finished typing and tap on the text to move it to the line:

When you’re finished, click the action button in the upper-right corner and email the document to opposing counsel:

Do not forget to flatten your annotations, which means preserving them in the document so that your signature and other information cannot be changed or removed.

Tip #3 – Combining Documents

To combine documents, use the “open-in” function to send your order/exhibit/cover letter from GoodReader to PDF Expert, then select the four-square window icon in the upper left corner:

Click on edit and tap on the pages that you want to paste into another pleading:

Click copy, done and close. Now, click on “Documents” and go back to the other pleading and open it. Again, select the four-square window icon in the upper left corner and click edit. Click paste and the pages will appear:

You can tap and hold on a page to move it to where you want it to appear in your document:

Select done and close to return to your document, which is now combined in a single .pdf file. Send it to opposing counsel or “open-in” GoodReader to move it back to the client file:

Bottom line:  PDF Expert is a veritable Swiss Army Knife of .pdf annotation and collaboration. Store your documents in GoodReader and sign your documents in PDF Expert, where you can add exhibits, combine motions with orders, and file your documents with the court.