Document Automation for Lawyers: How It Can Help You Work Smarter, Not Harder

If you’re among the over 1.3 million attorneys in the US, you likely are constantly looking for ways to streamline your daily workload. Document automation for lawyers is a great way to cut back on paperwork, reduce errors, and increase productivity so that you can put 100% into every case you take on.

Here, we’re going to discuss the basics and benefits of document workflow automation. Read on to learn how you can implement this software and why working with Knackly is a great choice.

What Is Document Automation for Lawyers?

The legal profession is one career that requires the highest volume of tedious paperwork. Attorneys devote about 48% of their time to administrative tasks. These tasks include office administration, generating invoices, sending bills, licensing paperwork, and case-related document signing.

Additionally, about a quarter of lawyers are interrupted 10+ times daily at work. This can greatly throw off the flow of administrative tasks and waste a lot more time on paperwork.

Document automation solves this issue so that attorneys can save time.

Ultimately, this software lets you automate document creation. You can use many different templates to design these documents. Pre-selecting the ones that you need for various applications means less manual labor.

The main goals of document automation software for lawyers is to:

• Produce letters
• Draft agreements
• Write motions
• Automate pleading
• Draft NDAs
• Generate bills
• Create invoices
• Form schedules and agendas
• Sign routine paperwork

You will be able to create and finalize high document volumes in the blink of an eye.

The best document automation software typically focuses on compliance. You can maintain this compliance with industry rules and local regulations.

What Are the Benefits of Document Workflow Automation?

In general, there are many benefits to investing in and using document automation software. Of course, one of the biggest benefits is the time it saves lawyers. But how? When it comes to saving time as a lawyer, the ability to draft documents faster is key. 

Three key elements of producing documents faster through document automation include: 

• Intakes that guide the user, internal or client-facing, through the right questions. 
• Automation features that lets the user reuse information from other systems or other questions.
• Produce multiple documents during the same intake.

When you’re able to cut back on time spent drafting documents, you’ll be able to dedicate more time to taking on additional cases or even implementing additional workflow strategies that help expand your firm’s productivity and reach. 

However, saving time is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of document automation software.

You also will naturally turn a higher profit as a result of time saved on menial tasks. You’ll be free to work on other matters, meaning that you’ll be able to take on more cases. This translates to higher profits for your firm since you will have more people paying for your services.

Fewer Errors

Attorneys who use document automation also will have a lower likelihood of human error. If an attorney creates their documents by hand, they are likely to slip up and omit things. Copying and pasting a new document together from other sources also won’t work because lawyers are likely to forget to edit certain passages and change things.

This isn’t a problem with document automation. Once you create a template, the software will automatically fill it out accurately every time. Assuming that you invest in the right software, you’ll have the ability to create universal models and reuse them as needed.

Seamless Systems Integration

Top document automation technologies also connect to your pre-existing systems. Open API, Zapier Connection, and Clio serve as direct system connections with Knackly. There are also other direct connections that you can inquire about so you don’t need to get used to a 100% new system.

Higher Client Retention

Clients expect their cases to be handled quickly. This is especially true in an increasingly fast-paced society. Most people looking for lawyers have also recently experienced life-changing events and want to find immediate assistance.

Producing legal documents quickly and accurately is a surefire way to provide a better customer experience. When you use software like Knackly, you’ll keep clients happy and ensure higher retention levels.

More New Clients

An MIT study found that attorneys who have a 5-minute response time have a 100x higher chance of connecting with a lead than those that take 30 minutes to reply.

Since the core purpose of document automation is to make you faster, you’ll be able to connect with prospects more quickly. You also will be able to begin creating cases more quickly within the system. Since clients can get the legal documents they need instantly, you will show them that working with you is efficient so that they sign on with your firm.

Why Is Knackly the Best Document Automation Software?

Knackly is automation software that can quickly and easily handle simple documents. However, it also has several powerful features that can help you streamline more complex processes around your law firm.

Knackly lets you draft documents faster with intake forms that guide the user through the right questions. This is true for both internal users as well as the client.

Automating these documents lets you reuse information from other systems. You’ll be able to produce multiple documents during one intake.

Documents also will be error-proof. Our powerful software lets you ensure that each document that is produced is right the first time. Using Interview Builder™ specifically ensures that the right questions are asked so the person entering answers doesn’t miss any important information.

You can also ensure that documents are filled out properly and use information in multiple ways. This means that you can reuse people’s information in different roles to streamline your client intake.

Functionality

The design of Knackly considers the conflict between features and ease of use that we had seen in so many existing automation systems.

We deliberately designed Knackly to be able to handle your automation requirements all while keeping the Knackly learning curve short and our system easy for you to use.

Knackly can do everything tiered products can do, along with many capabilities that even most Tier Three products dont offer, including:

• The ability to sort, filter, and group lists according to different needs
• Using lists inside of each other, without the HotDocs requirement that List 2 be a child list included in List 1
• Automatically create a Question and Answer interview based on the variables and conditions in the documents
• Have the ability to query multiple records to create a report. This helps find out what types of cases were done in the past year
• Open API that allows you to integrate with various software systems

It also connects to your pre-existing systems to integrate with your current law firm software structure. There are no limits on the document automation functionality, so you can draft simple and complex documents… and everything in between.

Get Started With Automated Document Processing

Now that you know the benefits of document automation for lawyers, it’s time to start streamlining processes and workflows. Knackly is committed to helping you automate your document workflow in a simple and effective way.

Our platform is accessible, versatile, and user-friendly so that you can implement it as efficiently as possible. Schedule a demo of our software today to boost your legal firm’s efficiency.