By way of further security, we can use a metadata removal tool (such as Payne Consulting’s Metadata Assistant) or by converting the Word document to a PDF. Speaking for myself, the way that I usually do this is by clicking on ‘accept all changes’ – and then saving the document – thinking that this turned off track changes and revered the document to an ordinary Word document. Once that process is over, the typical next step is to agree to the changes in the document to produce a non-red-lined version ( or ‘clean copy’) as it is known. Most of us use “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word when working on a document to note the changes/additions/deletions done by others. Lawyers today are concerned about metadata and not transmitting same to another lawyer or their own client when they electronically send a document. Lyrics by Francis Scott Key (who was a lawyer), music by John Stafford Smith. ♫ Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light…♫
