Pages for lawyers on Mac: drafting, track changes and Word exports in Pages 15.4

Can lawyers use Pages on Mac for real legal work?

Yes. Lawyers do use Pages on Mac for pleadings, motions and redlines. The clearest public accounts are old. A 2010 MacRumors thread describes a Florida litigator who used Pages for pleadings and motions with Track Changes. A California appellate lawyer in the same thread worked entirely in Pages.

Apple's own pages do not mention legal use. No current survey I could find counts Pages users in law practice. So treat Pages as a capable tool that needs checking, not as a proven default for every firm.

The best numbers come from the ABA's 2021 Legal Technology Survey, as summarized by MyCase. The summary says 98% of respondents named Microsoft Word as a word processor they use. It names WordPerfect at 15% and Google Docs at 8%. Pages does not appear in that summary.

The same summary says 91% of lawyers personally used word processing software. The survey covers word processors in general, not Pages. The summary does not state the sample size. The practical lesson is simple. Expect the other side, the court, or a co-counsel to work in Word.

Setting up a legal document in Pages

Start with the template. Pages groups templates into Basic, Reports and Books. Each template is either word processing or page layout. Pick word processing for briefs, memos and letters. Text flows from page to page in that mode, which suits long drafts.

You cannot switch a template after you start a document. You can convert a document between the two types, though. Choose the type before you type the caption. That saves you from rebuilding the layout later.

1. Open File > New. Choose Basic for a memo or letter, or Reports for a longer filing.
2. Choose word processing as the document type unless you need a fixed page layout.
3. Set the default font before you type. Follow set a default font in Pages.
4. Set page size and margins before you write the caption or the first heading.
5. If you draft the same layout every week, save it as a template.

Pages 15.4 adds Screen View for reading and focused writing, according to Apple's what's new page. Use it when you need to read a long draft without the toolbar in the way. Pages 12.1 added mail merge, which helps when one letter goes to many clients. Check the Pages user guide for the exact steps.

Pricing questions come up early. Apple says creating, viewing and editing documents does not require a subscription. Pages 15.1 became part of Apple Creator Studio. Full Creator Studio functionality requires macOS 26 or later. Check those requirements before you buy anything.

Track Changes in Pages for redlines

Track Changes is the core of a redline. Turn it on from Edit > Track Changes. Each insertion and deletion then shows as markup. The markup stays on the page until someone accepts or rejects it.

To read the markup, open the Comments & Changes sidebar. Click the View menu button in the toolbar, then choose the sidebar. In View Options, sort by page or date, filter by author, or hide comments or changes. Filtering by author helps when two reviewers mark the same paragraph.

1. Save a clean copy before anyone edits it. Name it with the date and the word clean.
2. Turn on Edit > Track Changes in the file you are about to send.
3. Send the file. If you share on iCloud, read the editing limits first.
4. Open the Comments & Changes sidebar and filter by author to read one reviewer at a time.
5. Accept or reject every change. Only then can you turn tracking off.

A worked example: one round with co-counsel

Say you draft a motion in Pages and co-counsel must mark it up in Word. Export a DOCX, not a DOC. Keep your Pages original as the master. When co-counsel returns the Word file, open it as a copy only. Compare the markup with what Word shows. If a change is missing or has moved, fix the file in Word, not in Pages.

Mistakes that break a redline in Pages

• Pausing tracking for a quick fix. Those edits do not appear in the markup.
• Sending a tracked file on iCloud to someone on Pages for iCloud. They can view it but not edit it.
• Turning tracking off with changes still pending. Pages blocks that until every change is accepted or rejected.
• Assuming a Word reviewer's markup will look the same in Pages. Open a test file first.
• Forgetting to filter by author. Two reviewers can mark the same sentence, and both show until you filter.

Pausing tracking is the mistake most likely to hurt a redline. The other side reads a markup that is missing edits. That is worse than no redline at all, because it looks complete. Keep tracking on for every edit that matters.

Comments, footnotes and endnotes in legal drafts

Comments are for the internal conversation. Select the text, click Comment, then type your note. Each comment stays tied to the words you picked. Pages 12.0 added VoiceOver support for comments and tracked changes. Read how to add a comment in Pages for the exact clicks.

Footnotes and endnotes have their own topics in Apple's user guide. Use a footnote for a supporting citation, and keep the note short. A long argument belongs in the body. Check your court's rules for footnote limits before you use them for anything long. See how to add a footnote in Pages.

Before you export, delete the internal comments you do not want opposing counsel to see. Pages does not make that decision for you. Read the file once with the sidebar open. Look for leftover notes such as a reminder to check a citation.

Table of contents, sections and page numbers for long filings

Long filings need structure. Pages includes a table of contents and sections, and Apple's guide covers both. Use a heading style for each part of the brief. Then build the contents list from those headings. Follow create a table of contents in Pages.

Sections let one part of the file behave differently from the rest. A caption page can carry a different header from the body. Add a section break where the header should change, then format that section. The header guide shows the steps: add a header and footer in Pages.

Page numbers belong in the footer. Do not type them by hand. Typed numbers stop matching the page as soon as you add a paragraph. The numbering steps are in add page numbers in Pages.

• Use one heading style for every argument heading in the brief.
• Keep the caption and the table of contents in their own section.
• Insert page numbers in the footer, not as typed text.
• Check the table of contents after every large edit.

Pleading paper in Pages: line spacing and line numbers

Pleading paper is the hardest part of legal formatting in Pages. A 2012 Apple Community thread from March and April describes the problem. Text did not line up with the line numbers on the page. One poster said Word's Pleading Wizard was gone. The thread does not describe a Pages equivalent.

The fix people suggested was to adjust line spacing so it fits the font. One poster reported that 1.6 line spacing lined up the text. Your font and size may need a different value. Treat 1.6 as a starting point, not as a rule.

Apple's template documentation lists no legal templates. You will build the pleading layout yourself or use a third-party template. Third-party legal templates exist, but this page does not vouch for any of them.

1. Type one full page in the body font and size you will file with.
2. Compare the first line of text with the first line number. Repeat for the last line on the page.
3. Change the line spacing in small steps. Check the page after each change.
4. Export the test page to PDF and open it at actual size.
5. Check the local rules for line numbers and margins before you finalize.

Export Pages files to Word DOCX or PDF

Export is the step that sends your work out of the office. Pages exports to Microsoft Word Office Open XML (DOCX), PDF, EPUB, RTF or RTFD, TXT and several image formats. Pages 13.0 added Export to the Share menu. Apple's export page lists the full set of options.

Legacy DOC is not a direct export. Apple says to export to DOCX, then save as DOC in Word. That makes a DOC file a two-step job. Exporting to Pages '09 is being discontinued, so do not plan around that option. Read save as a Word file in Pages for the steps.

1. Export a DOCX for anyone who works in Word. Send that file, not the Pages file.
2. Export a PDF for filing or for a read-only copy.
3. Open the DOCX in Word. Check page breaks, footnotes, headers and the table of contents.
4. Save a DOC from Word only after that check passes.
5. Keep the Pages original. It is your source if the Word copy goes wrong.

If a PDF holds client information, protect it with a password. Pages has a guide for that step. See password protect a document in Pages.

Dictation and drafting with Lazur in Pages

Dictation is often faster than typing a first draft. Hold fn to dictate. Clean, formatted text lands at the cursor in any app, Pages included. You can add snippets, a personal dictionary and clipboard slots. The Pages dictation steps are in use dictation in Pages.

The personal dictionary matters more for legal text than for most writing. Add party names, case names and unusual terms once. They then come out right without a fix each time. Still check each one against the filing, because a misspelled case name is still an error.

Lazur can also draft. Ask for a first pass at a paragraph, and it types the text where your cursor sits. Treat that draft as a starting point. Check every fact and every citation against the source before it goes into a filing.

Lazur does not click for you. It points at buttons, guides you one click at a time and answers out loud. You still make each change in Pages yourself, and you decide what goes into the document.

Client files and privacy when you use Lazur

Lazur listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about anything on screen. The audio and the screenshot go to AI providers so Lazur can answer. They are not stored. Content is never used to train AI models.

That covers Lazur. It does not cover your duties to clients. A privileged draft carries confidentiality duties before any tool touches it. Read your firm's rules on AI tools before you hold the shortcut over a client file.

iCloud sharing has its own limit. With Track Changes on, only Mac, iOS and iPadOS Pages users can edit a shared file. Pages for iCloud users can only view it. Choose the sharing method that matches the people who must edit.

Where Pages falls short for lawyers

Pages is not Word, and the old threads say so. The 2010 critics named three gaps: no footnote cross-referencing, no document compare, and weak Word import. Those reports are old. Some gaps may have closed. Do not assume they have. Test each one.

• Footnote cross-referencing. Insert one and check it after a save.
• Document compare. Critics in 2010 said Pages had none. Look for it in your version before you assume it exists.
• Word import. Open a real Word file from the other side before a deadline.
• Legal templates. Apple's template documentation lists none.
• Legacy DOC. Export DOCX, then save as DOC from Word.

When the work needs heavy redlining from several reviewers, Word is the safer tool. Use Pages for drafting, comments and final exports. Hand the markup round to the software your reviewers already use.

Next steps if you are new to Pages for legal work

1. Run a test. Draft one page, add a comment, a footnote and a table of contents, then export a DOCX.
2. Turn on Track Changes in a test copy. Read the markup in the sidebar.
3. Follow how to turn on Track Changes in Pages for the exact steps in Pages 15.4.
4. Read Lazur for Pages to see how voice help works inside a document.
5. Visit Lazur's download page when you want to test dictation and guidance on your own files. Check pricing before you decide.