Document Management, Drafting, and Version Control
This domain tests control over the matter's documentary record: where documents live, who may change them, how versions are identified, and how the final executed version is protected.
Core concepts
- The matter-centric document management system is the system of record; email and local drives are not.
- Naming convention: client, matter, document type, date, version, and status.
- Version control: major and minor versions, check-out and lock, audit trail; never overwrite a circulated draft.
- Drafting: approved templates and clause libraries, defined terms, cross-references, compare and redline, metadata review before external release.
- Mark privilege and confidentiality; control distribution lists; lock and index the executed copy.
- Retention and legal hold connect document handling to the records policy.
Worked example
Two associates edit 'Loan Agreement Final.docx' from email attachments, and the partner receives two different documents. Correct practice: one DMS copy, check-out, labels 0.1 and 0.2, redline against the baseline, circulate a link rather than an attachment, and compare at merge. Reasoning: filenames do not prove sequence, authorship, or completeness.
Traps
'Final_final' naming; using email as a repository; deleting drafts needed for an audit trail; hidden metadata reaching the other side; uncontrolled precedent; no owner for templates.