A PDF toolkit for small law firms
Bundles, exhibits and disclosure packs are mostly PDF work. Slate does that work inside the browser tab, so a client’s papers are never sent to a conversion service.
Why the upload matters more than the feature list
Most online PDF tools work the same way: you upload the document, their server converts it, you download the result. That makes the conversion company a data processor for whatever is inside the file — a client’s medical report, a settlement offer, a witness statement.
Slate runs the conversion in your browser using the browser’s own PDF engine. The file is read from disk, processed in memory and written back to your downloads folder. Nothing is transmitted, so there is no third-party processor to record for these conversions and no retention period to check.
The jobs that come up every week
Merge several scanned letters into one paginated bundle. Split a 600-page disclosure PDF into separate documents by page range. Add sequential numbers to exhibits. Stamp WITHOUT PREJUDICE across a without-prejudice offer before it goes out. Convert a PDF judgment to Word so you can quote from it.
Each of those is one tool, one screen, no account juggling: the same £1-a-week subscription covers all sixteen tools for the whole firm, with no per-seat licensing.
What it does not do
It is not a case management system, an e-disclosure platform or an OCR engine. Scanned documents with no text layer will not convert to Word — the tool tells you so rather than returning an empty file. Complex Word layouts (tables, columns, text boxes) are simplified when converted to PDF.
Being clear about the edges matters more than a longer feature list: a tool that quietly mangles a bundle costs a firm more than one that refuses.
Do files really stay on our machines?+
Yes. The PDF is read by your browser and converted locally. You can verify it: load the tool, then disconnect from the network before converting — it still works.
Is there a per-user licence?+
No. One subscription covers the firm; everyone signs in with their own email address. £1 a week, cancellable at any time.
Can we keep an audit trail?+
The service records only that an account exists and whether the plan is active. It does not record file names, page counts or document contents, because it never sees them.
Files are processed in the browser tab and are never uploaded. Slate is not legal advice or a case management system.