Document Automation: Best Practices and Design Decisions

1.  Best Practices and Design Decisions Legal Document Templates 201

6. 6 Document Automation ● 77% spend too much time on administrative tasks ● 57% plan to take steps to improve performance via greater use of technology to cut costs

7. 7 Document Automation

8. ➢ Building a Solid Foundation in MS Word LEGAL DOCUMENT TEMPLATES 101 8

9. 9 ● Copy/Paste ○ Issues ■ Errors of Omission and Errors of Inclusion ■ Human Error ■ Time-Consuming ■ Data Reuse ■ Metadata ■ Client Confidentiality - Overlooked past client info ■ Grammar mismatches WORKING WITH WORD DOCUMENTS

10. 10 ● Templates capture institutional knowledge ● Share and retain legal expertise in systems not people ● Workflows KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

11. 11 ● Identify common elements and reused data ● Add rules (conditional logic) BUILDING ROBUST TEMPLATES

12. 12 ● Template Sets ● Workflows MOVING BEYOND SINGLE TEMPLATES

13. 13 GARBAGE IN -> GARBAGE OUT

14. ● Paragraph and Section Numbering ● Cross-References ● Tab Stops and Tables ● Calculations ● Headers and Footers ● MS Word Fields ● Styles 14 USE THE ‘FREE’ STUFF (Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

15. 15 MS Word Tips and Tricks

16. Automating Templates

17. Cards and Fields Representing information in Lawyaw templates

18. Cards vs Facts Cards Category or collection of related facts Facts Discrete pieces of information Template

19. Facts John is 47 years old. He lives at 123 Main Street, Anytown, US 90210. John is married to Sally. She is 46 years old. They live together. They have three kids, Charlie, Cassie, and Carrie. John and Sally were married on November 5, 1999, in Big City. They are considered husband and wife. Judge Judy performed the ceremony. Wally and Wanda attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. John and Sally have one mortgage on their property, held by First Bank in Anytown, US. The original loan amount was $350,000. The interest rate is 4.3%. The monthly payment is $1,234.

20. Role Cards A person, an organization (and possibly a venue) John Sally Charlie Cassie Carrie Judy Wally Wanda First Bank

22. Role Cards A person, an organization (and possibly a venue) John Sally Charlie Cassie Carrie Judy Wally Wanda First Bank

23. Other Cards Grouping of other related information and facts Marriage Information Mortgage Information

25. Other Cards Grouping of other related information and facts Marriage Information Mortgage Information

26. Facts Marriage Information • Date of Marriage: November 5, 1999 • Place of Marriage: Big City • Description of Spouses: husband and wife Mortgage Information • Original Loan Amount: 350,000 • Interest Rate: 4.3 • Monthly Payment: 1,234 John • Age: 47 • Street Address: 123 Main Street • City: Anytown • State: US • Zip Code: 90210 • Personal Pronoun: He Sally • Age: 46 • Street Address: 123 Main Street • City: Anytown • State: US • Zip Code: 90210 • Personal Pronoun: She Charlie Cassie Carrie Judy Wally Wanda First Bank •City: Anytown •State: US

27. Cards with Fields (and Facts) Child 3 •Full Name: Carrie Judge •Full Name: Judy Witness 1 •Full Name: Wally Witness 2 •Full Name: Wanda Mortgage Holder •Full Name: First Bank •City: Anytown •State: US Marriage Information •Date of Marriage: November 5, 1999 •Place of Marriage: Big City •Description of Spouses: husband and wife Mortgage Information •Original Loan Amount: 350,000 •Interest Rate: 4.3 •Monthly Payment: 1,234 Spouse 1 •Full Name: John •Age: 47 •Street Address: 123 Main Street •City: Anytown •State: US •Zip Code: 90210 •Personal Pronoun: He Spouse 2 •Full Name: Sally •Age: 46 •Street Address: 123 Main Street •City: Anytown •State: US •Zip Code: 90210 •Personal Pronoun: She Child 1 •Full Name: Charlie Child 2 •Full Name: Cassie

28. Building a Template Adding Fields to your Document

30. Fields [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

31. Creating a Template with Fields & Cards [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment]. John is 47 years old. He lives at 123 Main Street, Anytown, US 90210. John is married to Sally. She is 46 years old. They live together. They have three kids, Charlie, Cassie, and Carrie. John and Sally were married on November 5, 1999, in Big City. They are considered husband and wife. Judge Judy performed the ceremony. Wally and Wanda attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. John and Sally have one mortgage on their property, held by First Bank in Anytown, US. The original loan amount was $350,000. The interest rate is 4.3%. The monthly payment is $1,234.

32. Conditions Adding Rules to Templates

33. Adding Flexibility with Conditional Logic [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

34. First Condition (Different Address) [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 2 Street Address], [Spouse 2 City], [Spouse 2 State] [Spouse 2 Zip Code]. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

35. First Condition (Different Address) [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 2 Street Address], [Spouse 2 City], [Spouse 2 State] [Spouse 2 Zip Code].

36. First Condition (Different Address) [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 2 Street Address], [Spouse 2 City], [Spouse 2 State] [Spouse 2 Zip Code]. They live together.

37. Second Condition (No Children) [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have no children. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

38. Second Condition (No Children) They have no children. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name].

39. Third Condition (No Mortgage) [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 2 Street Address], [Spouse 2 City], [Spouse 2 State] [Spouse 2 Zip Code]. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

40. Third Condition (No Mortgage) [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 2 Street Address], [Spouse 2 City], [Spouse 2 State] [Spouse 2 Zip Code]. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is [Spouse 1 Age] years old. [Spouse 1 Personal Pronoun] lives at [Spouse 1 Street Address], [Spouse 1 City], [Spouse 1 State] [Spouse 1 Zip Code]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] is married to [Spouse 2 Full Name]. [Spouse 2 Personal Pronoun] is [Spouse 2 Age] years old. They live together. They have three kids, [Child 1 Full Name], [Child 2 Full Name], and [Child 3 Full Name]. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] were married on [Marriage Information Date of Marriage], in [Marriage Information Place of Marriage]. They are considered [Marriage Information Description of Spouses]. Judge [Judge Full Name] performed the ceremony. [Witness 1 Full Name] and [Witness 2 Full Name] attended the ceremony and served as witnesses. [Spouse 1 Full Name] and [Spouse 2 Full Name] have one mortgage on their property, held by [Mortgage Holder Full Name] in [Mortgage Holder City], [Mortgage Holder State]. The original loan amount was $[Mortgage Information Original Loan Amount]. The interest rate is [Mortgage Information Interest Rate]%. The monthly payment is $[Mortgage Information Monthly Payment].

41. Iterate Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

42. Best Practices 43  Templates must be error-free.  Templates should follow the 80/20 rule.  Information should only be entered once.  Templates should be consistent globally.  Template terms should be gender-neutral and inclusive.

43. 44 ● Identify variable (client/matter- specific) data ● Review/adjust formatting Prepping your Document

44. 46 Data Reuse ● Flow of Information ● Structure of Information ● Storage of Information

45. 53 ● Spouse 1 role card ○ Description of Spouse ● Marriage Information other card ○ Description of Spouses Role Card vs Other Card

46. 54 Data Reuse ● Naming Conventions

49. Pronouns 57 ● Fields vs Conditions

50. Conditions 58 Adding Rules to your Templates ● Design for Efficiency ○ Optimize the Journey ○ Data Reuse

51. 59 ● MS Word Calculated Field ● Lawyaw Field ● Blank ● Conditional Logic Date Fields

52. Tabs vs Tab Stops 60

53. Tabs vs Tab Stops 61

54. Tables vs Tabs 62

58. 66 ● Data Reuse ● Template Sets ● Limitations of MS Word ● “Will this save me time?” Automate for Efficiency

59. Thoughtful Design 67 ● “Measure twice, cut once”

60. Thoughtful Design 68

61. Thoughtful Design 69 ● Option 1

66. Option 1 Option 2

67. 75 Design for your Workflows

68. 76 ● Option 1 Design for your Workflows

69. 77 ● Option 2 Design for your Workflows

70. Template Exchange 78 ● exchange.lawyaw.com

71. 79 ● Case Captions ‘Stub’ Templates

72. Template Exchange 80 ● exchange.lawyaw.com

73. 81 ● Reference Guide Resources

74. 82 ● Best Practices Resources

75. 83 Questions?

76. ➢ Schedule a Strategy Session ➢ The Exchange ➢ Template Academy ➢ Get in Touch Joe Kaczrowski Manager, Legal Content joe@lawyaw.com https://exchange.lawyaw.com/templates/template-services Next Steps 84

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