Lawyers must always keep accurate and compliant legal documents. But this is challenging, especially when you’re drafting time-consuming documents like contracts. To speed up the process, you can use legal automation systems, which are designed to automatically capture the information you need to accurately draft legal paperwork.
Keep reading to learn more about document automation for legal services.
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What Is Legal Document Automation?
Legal document automation is a process where you standardize frequently used documents using tools to set up and automatically generate these documents when needed. Typically, lawyers draft new documents by using an existing one and then replacing variable text like names and other details.
Using legal document automation tools, you can turn an existing contract into an editable document template with fillable fields. You can automate some or all of the document creation process, beginning with data gathering. Various software provides different levels of automation, such as using shortcuts to insert blocks of text or merging data from a spreadsheet to simple fields.
The Benefits Of Legal Document Automation
Legal firms that adopt legal automation software stand to reap multiple benefits and gain a competitive edge in the market. Here are several advantages to using this technology:
Save time and boost efficiency
Manually drafting legal documents is time-consuming and forces lawyers to spend precious hours on mundane administrative tasks. Using legal document automation software dramatically reduces the time creating simple contracts so you can devote more time to complex cases and client meetings. Document automation for law firms also includes using electronic signatures for faster approvals.
Eliminate manual errors and increase accuracy
Manual drafts are prone to multiple errors, which can be avoided when you use an automated system. You can create templates with guides on the expected entries so the team knows what information is needed. The old method of “find and replace” can lead to typos, while copy-pasting information can cause you to miss out on some important parts.
An automated template ensures that all important clauses are in the document and makes it easier to check the accuracy of the variable information. This leads to a higher quality of work output that clients appreciate.
Reduce stress and increase revenue
Drafting documents from scratch is often stressful and frustrating, especially when you’re on a tight deadline, and the pressure is on to get everything right. Automating repetitive tasks reduces stress since you can get things done quickly with zero errors. It also frees up your time to meet with more clients, eventually increasing your firm’s cases and billable hours.
Create a knowledge repository and foolproof the firm
By automating legal documents, you don’t have to rely on one or a few lawyers who have the exclusive know-how to assemble the document. You also eliminate the risk of a lawyer leaving and taking all the knowledge with him.
Institutional knowledge is already included in the documents, which helps firms maintain a continuous knowledge repository and, as a bonus, makes onboarding new lawyers faster. This helps you create a foolproof firm that can keep growing in the future.
Enhance customer experience and attract new clients
Creating customized legal documents quickly provides a better client experience since you’ll be completing their requirements faster. You’ll experience more satisfied clients who will happily stay with the firm. Clients today are also tech-savvy and will be attracted to a firm that offers technologically enhanced services.
Legal document automation enables your firm to offer self-service options and fixed-fee services where clients can complete the information needed and have their documents delivered within hours.
Choosing The Right Legal Document Automation Software
To find the best legal automation software, you should consider the following factors. There are many platforms available, and choosing the right one is key to helping your firm embrace this technology. Here are the questions you should ask before signing up for a document automation tool.
- How robust is the document generation? What level of logic complexity and document rules are possible?
- What are the supported file types? Does it support both Word and PDF document output?
- Is it intuitive and easy to set up and use?
- Does it offer a mobile-friendly client-facing interface that you can use to send questionnaires to clients and they’ll find it easy to complete them?
- Can you white-label the product with your brand guidelines?
- Does it offer robust APIs that let you integrate the solution with other apps?
- Does it support electronic signatures, either as an in-built functionality or as an integration with a digital signing platform?
- Is it a cloud-based or on-premise solution?
- Does it offer a client portal where clients can access the questionnaires?
Depending on your needs, you may want comprehensive legal automation software that can fully automate the entire document drafting process. Or you might need a simple solution that automates various parts of the draft, such as data gathering or digital signing. The questions above will help you filter options according to your requirements.
Implementing Legal Document Automation
The best time to start document automation for legal services is now. It might be challenging to implement, but you can begin with small steps today.
- Identify your goals and what you want to achieve, and then analyze your workflow.
- Start automating the bottlenecks and solving the current pain points in the drafting process.
- Look for the right automation software that fits your needs and train your staff on how to use them.
- Monitor the process to ensure the solution is working and optimize your system as needed.
With patience and perseverance, you can reap the benefits of document automation for your legal practice.
Start Automating Your Legal Paperwork With Fill
Looking for easy and cost-efficient legal automation software? Fill lets you create reusable templates that you can use for future documents, eliminating the need to start from scratch. You can send agreements for signature to multiple clients simultaneously and gather legally binding electronic signatures. Check out Fill today and start automating your legal documents.
