Online document assembly reduces costs for big law |
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Yet many major international firms still assume that document assembly is only justified for complex document environments. There is also a belief that document assembly is simply too expensive to implement, and this has resulted in most large law firms prioritizing other technologies before document automation. With the advent of online or browser-based, document assembly, there is no longer a reason for big law to hold off on using document assembly throughout the firm. Because users run document templates using a web browser, no software needs to be installed on each user's desktop computer. Browser-based templates also mean that authorized users can create documents from branch offices, temporary offices, at home, or even while on the road. Interestingly, one of the four main law firm technology predictions for 2011 by Professor Richard Susskind, a legal technology expert, in an interview for Legal IT Professionals (http://www.legalitprofessionals.com/ten-minutes/ten-minutes-with-richard-susskind.html), sees more law firms embracing cloud computing. "Many firms will move their data and processing to the cloud," Susskind predicts. "Confidentiality concerns are being addressed and, in any event, it is probable that a first-rate outsource provider will offer better security than many firms can provide for themselves." "What big law firms don't realize is that document assembly should actually be used by everyone in the firm," says Chris Pearson, CEO of XpressDox Document Assembly. "It is a fact that the biggest time-savings in large law firms come from simply automating standard office documents such as client letters, fax cover sheets, leave application forms, new client or matter take-on forms, etc." "One feature that single handedly justifies the use of document assembly is having only one copy of the firm's letterhead. With XpressDox, when partners come and go, or where addresses change, the letterhead only needs to be updated once. Of course, document assembly technology also handles really complex legal documents, but these can take some time to create, which is why many law firms avoid investing in document assembly software," Pearson adds. Although online document assembly has been available for some time now, XpressDox takes it one step further, offering a desktop solution for Microsoft® Office Word, in addition to a browser-based version that also runs on most PDA devices - Apple's iPad, for example. "Another interesting use our customers are already putting XpressDox to is launching document templates from their own web site, which enables firms' clients to complete new client or matter take-on forms online themselves, without them having to download any software," says Pearson. What is remarkable about XpressDox is that all versions of the product make use of exactly the same templates, which reduces authoring time. In addition, firms can install XpressDox on their own in-house servers, or host their templates securely in the cloud. "A number of firms have chosen to host their internal templates on their own servers while external or client-facing templates are hosted in the cloud so as not to allow remote access to their networks," Pearson says. "With XpressDox, firms have the flexibility to deploy document assembly in the way that works for them, rather than having to adapt to the needs of the software," he adds. XpressDox is offered on a once-off price starting at $149 per user with discounts for volume, or on a monthly rental starting at $10 per user. "This means that large firms will achieve payback in the first month - something unheard of in legal software systems," says Pearson. About XpressDox Document Assembly |
Lower Cost Of Ownership And Faster Deployment Of XpressDox Online Document Assembly Adds Up For International Law Firms. There can be no question that document assembly reduces costs for law firms.