What You Need to Know About Docassemble
Since the paper was invented around 100 B.C, we have drafted legal documents manually. 2100 years after, with the development of information technologies, lawyers started using Word and Adobe Reader. These programs gave us our beloved docx. and pdf. legal documents. However, one thing has remained the same. The generation of legal documents requires a manual process, in which a paralegal or an attorney has to sit for hours to create a legal document.
Almost 2110 years after the paper was invented, brilliant individuals have developed computer products (software) that make the legal document generation process as easy as your ABC. Legal document generation can be divided into two categories: (1) those professionals that have a manual system to create legal documents; and, (2) those professionals that prefer document automation software. Professionals under the second category have one priority: let repetitive tasks become less of a burden.
Think of document automation software as the new Word or Adobe Reader to generate legal documents. Legal document automation software empowers attorneys and users to automate the repetitive and time-consuming process of document creation. With document automation software, you or your client only have to answer some questions to get a customized legal document.
One essential document automation software is Docassamble.
What is Docassamble?
Docassemble is a free, open to everyone (open source) software that helps the automation of legal documents. This software provides the necessary tools to generate interviews with users, and based on the information, the legal documents will be created in pdf., rtf., or docx.
Why should I consider Docassemble?
Many attorneys find it hard to delegate tasks to their paralegals, and even more to automated systems. It’s time to let go. Cost reduction, productivity, availability, and reliability are some of the benefits of document automation.
Docassemble provides some advantages over other document automation software. Imagine you want to have a client-friendly platform that allows them to create their legal documents for a fixed price. You want to give the best experience to your client. As a service, the user experience in a platform is critical for your success. With Docassamble, you can create a platform with additional features such as:
- A live chat to assist users in real-time with their documents and questions.
- Protection of user information with server-side encryption, two-factor authentication, and other security features.
- Integrations with third-party applications. For example, you could integrate your platform with Clio or another solution to process payments from clients.
- You won’t have to design the “flow” of the questions. Trust me; it’s not fun. Docassemble will automatically determine what questions to ask, and the order in which to ask them, based on what information is necessary to have for the generation of the legal document. This should give you time to think about the substantial documents rather than thinking about the interview process.
- You can add a feature that allows clients to sign your documents digitally.
- Finally, with Docassemble, you can program a platform that uses optical character recognition to process images uploaded by the user. For example, your platform could recognize and process the license or passport of your client automatically.
Docassemble has a variety of functionalities, and many projects have barely scratched the surface. Even if Docassemble requires some programming skills, our document assembly team is always open to help. We might also have the opportunity to chat on the Docassemble Slack group.
If you are familiar with TurboTax, Docassemble can be used to create similar platforms or solutions. Best of all, Docassemble is entirely free. You will never pay a license fee or sign a service as a software agreement.
Document automation is not a trend, but a new way to practice law with infinite potential. That’s why we have decided to launch our Docassemble development services. We recognize that document automation wouldn’t exist without Docassemble. Moreover, as our projects grow, we have been using Docassemble to create better solutions that improve access to justice.
When should I start using Docassamble?
Docassemble is used by legal aid organizations, law firms (regardless of size), and in-house lawyers. Some major legal tech projects that have used Docassemble include Community Lawyer, UpSolve, and Documate. In other words, your solution could become the next big thing in legal tech. There is no better time than starting today.
If you have legal documents, you can start automating them today. Reliability, no routine work, and increased accuracy are just a few of the benefits you can start experiencing. Our document automation team can work with you to improve your ideas. The faster you can build automated legal documents, the more volume of cases you can take.
Final Thoughts
Docassamble is at the core of many successful legal tech projects. From an access to justice perspective, this represents an exciting future. Docassamble is likely to accelerate access to legal documents and forms.
Think back on all the different technologies used throughout history to create legal documents. Quills, parchment, pens, and printing presses. Now we only need to type to assemble legal documents.
Regardless if you are an attorney, paralegal, or software developer, you can use a good document automation software such as Docassemble. One thing is true: document automation software empowers the legal industry. That's why we are creating exciting products and solutions with Docassemble at the core of the solution. We are excited to be a part of this community and hope you join the movement.
