Resource
The Ultimate Guide
Everything you need to know to support your document automation journey, from understanding the fundamentals to planning, implementing, and scaling automation in your firm.
Everything you need to know to support your document automation journey, from understanding the fundamentals to planning, implementing, and scaling automation in your firm.
Summary
Document automation has moved from a specialist tool used by a handful of knowledge lawyers to something most legal teams are now expected to have a view on. The technology itself is not new. What has changed is the pressure: matter volumes are up, headcount is not, and the documents that eat the most time are often the ones that vary the least.
This guide covers the ground from first principles. It explains what document automation actually is, how a template differs from a precedent, what happens to a document as it moves through an automated workflow, and where the time savings genuinely come from.
It is written for teams who are early in the process whether you are building the internal case, scoping a pilot, or still working out whether automation fits the kind of work your team actually does. No technical background is assumed.
What's inside
The fundamentals. What automation is, and how it works in practice rather than in theory.
The business case. The drivers behind adoption, and the numbers worth putting in front of a partner.
Industry applications. How firms and in-house teams are using automation today.
Use cases across sectors. Real examples, with the outcomes teams reported.
Common pitfalls. The mistakes that turn a promising pilot into shelfware.
Where to start
Pick the right first document. High volume, low variation, and owned by someone who wants this to work.
Map it before you build it. Most of the effort is in agreeing the logic, not in the automation itself.
Run a contained pilot. One team, one document type, a fixed end date and an honest review.
Decide what happens next. Scale it, change it, or stop — but decide, rather than letting the pilot drift.
The hardest part of automation is rarely the software. It is agreeing what the document should say before anyone touches a template.
Summary
Document automation has moved from a specialist tool used by a handful of knowledge lawyers to something most legal teams are now expected to have a view on. The technology itself is not new. What has changed is the pressure: matter volumes are up, headcount is not, and the documents that eat the most time are often the ones that vary the least.
This guide covers the ground from first principles. It explains what document automation actually is, how a template differs from a precedent, what happens to a document as it moves through an automated workflow, and where the time savings genuinely come from.
It is written for teams who are early in the process whether you are building the internal case, scoping a pilot, or still working out whether automation fits the kind of work your team actually does. No technical background is assumed.
What's inside
The fundamentals. What automation is, and how it works in practice rather than in theory.
The business case. The drivers behind adoption, and the numbers worth putting in front of a partner.
Industry applications. How firms and in-house teams are using automation today.
Use cases across sectors. Real examples, with the outcomes teams reported.
Common pitfalls. The mistakes that turn a promising pilot into shelfware.
Where to start
Pick the right first document. High volume, low variation, and owned by someone who wants this to work.
Map it before you build it. Most of the effort is in agreeing the logic, not in the automation itself.
Run a contained pilot. One team, one document type, a fixed end date and an honest review.
Decide what happens next. Scale it, change it, or stop — but decide, rather than letting the pilot drift.
The hardest part of automation is rarely the software. It is agreeing what the document should say before anyone touches a template.
Trusted by leading firms & legal teams
