Kickstart Document Automation in your law firm

Document automation is popular with lawyers, for good reason. Who doesn’t want to be able to produce a comprehensive, up-to-date and completely accurate first draft at the push of a button? The product demos and sales pitches for automation solution look so smooth and simple. But doing document automation well takes a lot of work. As a consultant I see a lot of law firms and I see a lot of document automation solutions stuck halfway.

Document automation in the real world

You know what I mean by halfway. You can automate the date, recipient and sender details but the content in the middle still needs careful review and rework. Or you are using an old custom built solution that no one has been able to update since Brenda retired in 2017. You are calling it document automation but you know it’s only the top half, like a Zoom outfit of tailored shirt and jacket on top and saggy tracksuit bottoms below.

In a perfect world you would have templates for all the documents you regularly use set up in a legal practice management system and able to generate a suite of documents, populated with the correct client details, at the push of a button. If you already live in that world, congratulations and you can skip to the next post.

For the rest of us, the good news is that automation tools are constantly improving. Smart tools make it easier to do the work needed to get to the nirvana of document automation.?

One difficulty of setting up a precedent library was that no one ever had time to go through the documents and de-identify the details so they could be re-used. Even if you often use an absolutely standard licence agreement, you ended up with a collection of similar documents to pick from. Whichever you chose needed careful editing to get the party names and pronouns correct. The smart tools can do the manual work of de-identification for you, making it much easier to set up a helpful knowledge bank.

Where to start

How do you decide where to start? Your solution must be:

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Start with simple, frequently used precedents. You want to keep it simple as you test the process. It may be tempting to automate a complicated suite of precedents, but it will tie up your project. Look to get started with some easy wins and then move onto the more complex integrated document suites.

In law firms, a cost agreement may be a good place to start because every matter in a law firm needs one, so you have volume and it’s worth investing to get it right.?It takes some time to set up but once done, say goodbye to embarrassing ‘copy and paste’ mistakes forever.?

Try to test the automation before you invest in an expensive automation solution. You can check how often does it get used? how much time does it save? does it help streamline the process? The answers will help you build a business case for investing in a better automation solution.

Some document automation options to get started

There are hundreds of options to automate document generation. Bam Legal has helpfully created a site that analyses 250 different document automation solutions. If you don't yet have budget, don't fret there are some ways you can get started.

DIY: you can set up document automation using that is standard in word processing software:

• set up document templates with variable fields in Microsoft Word or Google Docs
• create email message templates in Outlook
• use Quick Parts in Microsoft Word or Outlook
• use email templates (previously called canned responses) in Gmail on the web

Built in automation functionality: check what is available in the software you have or are considering. Most legal practice management systems offer document automation. Other document management software like netdocuments offer document automation. And within Microsoft 365 you can use Microsoft Forms or Microsoft Lists with Power Automate to populate fields in a Word template.

Stand alone low cost solutions: if you don't have automation capacity in existing software there are a range of low cost tools that will enable you to populate templates. Microsoft Word Add-ins such as Template Chooser by Officeatwork and Curly will populate placeholders in your document. Docassemble is free open-source software that can be used to create online interviews that populate documents.

Macro.com is a straightforward tool that enables you to create a whole set of documents from a template and a spreadsheet. It requires little or no training to get started. It is a desktop app that works offline and doesn't store your documents or send them to servers.

Getting document templates right

Starting automation using your existing tools enables you to spend time converting your existing precedents into templates which are suited to automation. This can be a significant and time-consuming piece of work. Try to avoid paying licensing fees for a tool that you can't put to work because you have a backlog of templates to be updated.

If you are attempting to work with an older-style agreement you may find that the references to the contracting parties require changes to pronouns and verbs throughout to accommodate gender, company or individual party, and multiple parties. One option is to rewrite the template to refer to a consistent defined term (for example, the Buyer) and build in a schedule of defined terms. It requires attention to detail and judgment and can be time consuming and repetitive.

Once the template is rewritten it is then an easier job to automate the variables in the schedule.?If you are automating documents which are prescribed by a third party, such as a government body or court, you will need to think about who will monitor when those documents are revised and ensure that the templates are updated.?

Like house-painting, 90% of good automation is boring and tedious preparation. To make the most of document automation to create efficient workflows you will need to think about how you will:

1. standardise data capture for each matter or client
2. clean up existing client data
3. collate current precedents in one location
4. overhaul templates to consolidate and re-use variable fields
5. agree on document template content
6. simplify paper based processes to optimise automation
7. build in how to guidance to help users complete the documents
8. test and iterate the solution to based on feedback

Worth the pain

There are huge benefits to getting document automation working. Being able to produce consistently high quality documents in a short time frame will always impress clients and colleagues. It improves every day work for the whole team by taking away some pressure points. Legal teams can concentrate on the high value skilled analysis and spend more time communicating with clients instead of hunched over a keyboard. Consistent use of a good template reduces the risk of human error. And it enables more profitable operations.

Investing in setting up good document automation is great preparation for making the most of AI tools that are entering the market. We have only seen the beginning of the capability of AI to speed up the process of extracting relevant data and manipulating it to the required output. Having good sources of clean data and current templates will enable you to make the most of AI tools.

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I share tips and ideas on how to make the most of your existing tech to work smarter and more efficiently. If you would like to hear more tips on becoming tech enabled follow me and subscribe to my mailing list at?www.fionamclay.com.au