As contracts change during the negotiation process, sometimes you wonder whether the finished contract has much of the original text left. You "redline" or "blackline" the contract and send it to the other party's attorney, it comes back with more changes, and back and forth until everyone is satisfied. How can you keep track of all these changes?

Document comparison and reviewing software has become an essential tool in the contract negotiation process. By using the right tools, you can document every single change, track who made it and when, and effectively review the final contract. You can also make sure to remove all metadata, such as comments, versions, and reviewers' initials.

The following links help you use Microsoft Office System tools to make your contract negotiation process more efficient, while increasing your confidence in the final contract.

• Improve the contract negotiation process with the right tools (Article)
  Use Word to streamline the negotiation process.
• Restrict access to legal documents with Office 2003 (Article)
  Protect confidential information that you send through e-mail.
• Control metadata in your legal documents (Article)
  Keep metadata, such as comments and initials, out of public documents.
• Compare documents with the Legal blackline option (Article)
  Learn how you can display the differences between two documents.