Practice ManagementMay 2026 · 5 min readPRINTABLE CHECKLIST

The 15-Point Document Security Checklist Every Attorney Should Run Before Sending

Every document that leaves your office is a potential liability. Run this checklist before transmitting any legal document to opposing counsel, the court, a client, or a third party. Each item maps to a specific tool in the ShieldDrop suite.

Metadata & Identity

1. Run metadata scrubber on every outgoing DOCX, PDF, JPEG, and MP3

ShieldDrop

2. Verify author, company, and creator fields are blank after scrubbing

ShieldDrop

3. Check embedded images for GPS EXIF data (especially crime scene or property photos)

ShieldDrop

4. Confirm revision history and tracked changes are fully stripped, not just hidden

ShieldDrop

Redaction

5. Redact SSNs, account numbers, and minor names per PACER Rule 5.2

RedactAI

6. Redact medical record numbers and protected health information where required

RedactAI

7. Verify redactions are permanent (burned in), not just black boxes on an editable layer

RedactAI

Privilege Review

8. Confirm the document does not contain inadvertent attorney-client privileged content

Alexia

9. Check that work-product-protected strategy notes are not in document comments or properties

ShieldDrop

10. If sharing discovery, confirm you are not disclosing information beyond the scope of the production request

Alexia

Deadlines & Timestamps

11. Verify the document date matches the actual filing or sending date

DeadlineCalc

12. Confirm any referenced deadlines have been calculated using FRCP Rule 6 (excludes holidays and weekends where applicable)

DeadlineCalc

Chain of Custody & Integrity

13. For evidentiary documents, generate a chain of custody report before transmission

ChainKeep

14. Record the file hash (SHA-256) of outgoing documents for later integrity verification

ChainKeep

Transmission Security

15. Confirm you are sending to the correct recipient — verify email address before hitting send, especially in adversarial matters

Run this checklist automatically with ShieldDrop.

All 15 checks map to tools in the suite — $19/month for the full workflow.

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