---
title: "List outgoing files before they leave, including native files"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/confidentiality-and-client-information/review-an-outgoing-document-for-hidden-metadata-before-it-leaves-the-pra/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A51-MA20261022-4-US"
practice_area: "Confidentiality & client information"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# List outgoing files before they leave, including native files

> List each file proposed to be sent, its type, and whether it is a native file or a fixed copy. Do not send it and do not say hidden data has been removed.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/confidentiality-and-client-information/review-an-outgoing-document-for-hidden-metadata-before-it-leaves-the-pra/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Confidentiality & client information](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/confidentiality-and-client-information.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List each file proposed to be sent, its type, and whether it is a native file or a fixed copy. Do not send it and do not say hidden data has been removed. |
| What the lawyer must review | You decide what leaves the office. Model Rule 1.6(c) requires reasonable efforts against inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of information relating to the representation. A native file can carry more than the page a reader sees. No regulation that lists metadata fields was opened, so this check does not name fields and does not say a conversion removes them. Formal Opinion 512 applies if a tool is used to inspect the file. Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 includes the benefits and risks of the technology you use for that inspection. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Review an outgoing document for hidden metadata before it leaves the practice](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/confidentiality-and-client-information/review-an-outgoing-document-for-hidden-metadata-before-it-leaves-the-pra.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List each file proposed to be sent, its type, and whether it is a native file or a fixed copy. Do not send it and do not say hidden data has been removed.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- A fixed copy is still checked. Conversion is not, by itself, a finding that nothing hidden remains.
- Do not email the file in order to test it.

## Sources

- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.1, Comment 8](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_1_competence/comment_on_rule_1_1/) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*