Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers document automation software (see article below), a flat fee legal research service, a secure communications and file exchange service, a utility that facilitates pen-based input into PDF files, and an iPhone app for controlling PowerPoint presentations. Don't miss the next issue.
Document Automation Comes of Age
By Neil J. Squillante
Someday, computers will learn how to think, which means
they'll learn how to draft legal documents. Relax. You'll
have long since retired by then. For the time being,
computers remain faithful servants, not threats. So why not
use them to their fullest potential? When it comes to
producing agreements and other legal documents, you should
do the thinking but let your computer do the formatting and
other grunt work. So-called document automation technology
has come of age. Have you?
iCreate 7.0 … in One Sentence
Esquire Innovations' iCreate 7.0 enables you to automate the
creation of routine documents in Microsoft Word without any
specialized programming knowledge.
The Killer Feature
The first rule of medicine is do no harm. Esquire
Innovations has embraced a similar rule for iCreate 7.0 — make it look like it's part of Word to reduce the learning
curve, integrate existing Word features that work well, fix
broken Word features, automate slow processes, etc.
Called "Enhanced Native Architecture," this philosophy has resulted in new features such as the iHyperstyles Toolbar, which appears within Word like any other toolbar.
With the iHyperstyles Toolbar, you can create and save
numbering systems for documents that your firm routinely
creates, create and apply Styles using your keyboard, create
a table of contents and authorities, and much more.
Other Notable Features
In addition to the iHyperstyles Toolbar, everyone in your firm can immediately benefit from the templates included in iCreate such as letters, memos, fax cover sheet, pleadings, expense report, check request, and more.
But the real power lies in creating your own customized templates, which you can do without heavy duty programming languages such as Visual Basic. Instead, iCreate uses XML-based open standards.
Once you create a template, everyone in your firm can access it from the Template Launcher (see above screenshot). Additionally, iCreate integrates with popular document management systems.
Also new is QuickMerge, which can dynamically place information from your firm's contact management system into documents. When the information changes, you can have the document update automatically.
What Else Should You Know?
iCreate works with Microsoft Office 2002 (XP), 2003, and 2007. QuickMerge works with Outlook, InterAction, GroupWise, and Lotus Notes. You can try iCreate for free for three months. Learn more about iCreate 7.0.
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