So what are we really talking about when we mention automated document generation in elawyering or virtual law office applications? The answer is not a simple one. Based on the various blog posts that I have read on the subject, and the public information of companies who provide this service, I conclude that it does not have a central definition.
My Take
I admit that I have been less than enthusiastic about the prospects of automated legal document generation in the past. I have worked in a number of positions where I have developed various forms of document automation processes. Unfortunately, all of these processes involved some type of database field merging. Database field merging in its basic state is rigid and unintelligent. Basically you set up a document template, designate existing merge fields (which exist in a database table or view) and initiate the merge process. Using a mail merge based approach to legal document generation almost always involves "cleaning up" or refining the document in some way. To make matters worse, most giant law office database applications have these archaic and weird predefined merge fields used to extract information from the database. More often than not, i opted to create smaller more efficient databases with user-friendly merge fields.
The Future of Automated Legal Documents
This blog is all about shaping the future of the online delivery of legal services, and document automation is included in that vision. Although I do believe that there are some worthy alternatives to mail merge document generation out there, I have not yet seen any truly robust systems. Of course I don't know how every company's technology works, but I really don't need to.
For instance, Wizilegal is a company that claims to be the most cutting-edge provider of SaaS automated legal document software. They have very little information available pertaining to the inner-workings of the software. I don't even know the output of the generated documents. What I do know is they require the attorney to upload their documents. Next, the software will generate documents? Yes, it is confusing. I guess there is no wonder that their most recent blog post was in September 2009.
The future of automated legal document assembly has about as much to do with traditional mail merge as this blog has to do with typewriter maintenance. :-)
The Role of the .PDF
I really like .pdf documents. However, I think they have been miscategorized in their intended role for automated legal document solutions. A .pdf is great for what it is, a portable document format. Because of its long tenure in the world wide web, it has become the standard for shuffling documents through cyberspace. The King County Superior Court in Seattle now requires attorneys to electronically file documents in .pdf format. I think this is great. The problem is that .pdf files are not particularly suited for pure automated document generation. I'm sure it works for some people, but it is not ideal.
Conclusion
The future of automated legal document generation is all about file format. What type of file format can be best used to completely generate legal documents on the fly? The idea of mail merge definitely has a place in automated legal document generation, but only the idea. The future I envision detaches us from our desktop programs and thrusts us into the cloud where virtually anything is possible. I'm excited about the possibilities!