What is Document Automation?

Document automation is the process of making documents quicker to draft using technology. In the legal context, these documents are usually contracts, associated schedules and/or other documents used in the completion of a particular legal matter. Typically, document automation is better suited to transactional areas of law (e.g. corporate, employment, etc) as opposed to dispute resolution, which may be more bespoke on a case-by-case basis.

Typically the benefits of implementing document automation include quicker drafting of documents, more consistent output, and less errors drafting. Through those benefits it is likely that there will also be happier clients (as service to them is quicker) and more profitable matters (especially if documents are drafted quicker on fixed fees).

The number of document automation platforms on the market focused on legal is huge. A vast majority of those on the market require require some level of 'tagging' or 'coding' which requires some technical knowledge to implement and scale. The future of document automation is likely to be 'no code' and a more integrated drafting experience utilising a variety of data sources. This diminishes the need for technical support for automation (making platforms more accessible and scalable) and greater connectivity means less errors double keying and quicker drafts.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska