I'll start with the customary "I haven't posted for a while" before I get started. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, rather I have a lot to write about and wanted to discover the most comprehensive, yet clear method of delivering the information. In my next post today I will talk about the new direction of this blog. For now, I'll quickly discuss the topic of this post.
My Former View on Automated Document Assembly
As you may or may not know, I have indicated my disliking of client-facing automated document solutions. I based this on the fact that the elawyering applications of the future will need to focus on personal service rather than the automated technology. However, as George Bush would say, "I do believe human beings and fish can co-exist." Actually, I now believe that automated document technology and personal customized elawyering applications can co-exist. My reasons for changing my stance are not too important, however I will credit Richard Granat and Richard Susskind for their take on the usefulness and cost-benefits of automated document approaches.
Two forms of Automated Document Assembly
In my view, there are two basic forms of automated document assembly. Both have been around for a while, and yet both are new to the realm of elawyering. The first is very common and involves law practice productivity software. Traditionally, law practice productivity software has run outside of the internet on a lawyer's local computer or network. The software is usually connected to a simple database driven user interface used to insert client information. Once the client information is entered, the documents are generated from that information. The second type of automated document assembly involves client-facing document generation software. These types of software packages have typically been developed for simple procedures such as incorporations, wills, LLCs, etc. Both of these types of products have been around for a while, and have not necessarily expanded the availability of affordable, quality, legal services.
The Future of Automated Document Assembly
The challenge today is to take these basic automated document assembly principles and apply them to the new interconnected world of the internet (the cloud). Of course the internet is not new, but it is very young. The legal field is very mature, so the combination of the two is a difficult match. I understand the necessity of maintaining a professional appeal and retaining a conservative approach to delivering legal services. The two types of automated document assembly approaches both have their use in elawyering applications. The first is similar to its legacy counterpart: to provide a means for an attorney to take a client's information and automatically generate accurate legal documents. The main difference between the contemporary and legacy approaches is the method of collecting the client's information. The contemporary method will employ a sophisticated client-facing user interface, complete with highly intelligent questionnaires, and other built in features.
The second legacy approach to automated document assembly can compliment the first approach or be a stand-alone approach. Actually, certain aspects of the second contemporary approach to automated document assembly can compliment the first contemporary approach. For example, a back-end automated document assembly application will utilize the information contained from a front end rich user interface to automatically assemble the documents. If the second contemporary approach was used a a stand-alone solution, it would incorporate the otherwise attorney-facing portion of the automated document assembly process. For example, a cloud-based wills and trust application would utilize a rich user interface to collect information as well as complete the necessary documents.
Hopefully this (kind of) explained my changed view regarding automated document assembly in elawyering applications.