What Are Intelligent Legal Forms?
Smart legal forms are the next generation of legal forms. They are not static, view-only forms like those you might find as PDFs or printouts in a law office or court. Smart legal forms are in essence, digital assistants on the web that guide you through completing the right legal form for your needs.
The best way to think about smart legal forms is as if they were cross between Microsoft Word and a wizard . They help you find the right legal form for your needs and then help you fill that form out by asking the questions in the right sequence based on the responses you provide.
At their core, smart legal forms are really just a branched pre-written series of questions that you can answer online. This is similar to the approach online tax return software companies use minus the tax rules.
This technology enables you to automate a legal process. The completed form is the end product of the process. The process itself simply helps you create the form.
Advantages Of Intelligent Forms For You
"Although I’ve practiced law for 17 years, I still do not have a legal background. Even after over 1,000 real estate transactions, I look at this as a new learning experience. It is hard to believe I didn’t learn about the concept of using easy forms, and modify them as needed in my practice sooner. There are so many advantages to using new technology and this is one of them. As a solo practitioner, it is very practical for me. Not only does it save me a lot of time, I had to hire lawyers for some cases that included reviewing and revising forms for Maryland and other jurisdictions, but now I can do this myself and quickly, too. A major advantage is that it allows us to get transactions closed faster. I was closing at the bar association seminar during the government shut down. Some title companies were still on furlough. I literally had no delay or interruption in the closing process and nor has my client. I’m very satisfied with this website".
Kathy Lucero
The Law Office of Luzero & Rivas
Orlando, Florida
"We are the real deal. We also use the Smart Legal Forms. These forms are so detailed and specific for most states that you are likely to find what you need. In addition, there is a section that makes sure that you do not overlook the final step of the closing. The benefit of the forms is that they are so good, precalculated, and legitimate, that the buyer’s lender has had no issue at all with the use. I am still amazed by the forms. I ran through a bunch of them before choosing this suite of forms. They answer or give tips on the most common questions that people have in real estate transactions. You can’t go wrong with these forms. We see a value (no, it’s not a sham) in the free subscription because we are in business to help others. I cannot stress enough how great these forms are! It is how we are able to do our closings same day without any problems."
Tammy Hill-Mexico
Hill & Hill Law, LLC
Virginia Beach, VA
"I’ve used your forms for a while for trusts and wills, and recently filed my first LLC and Non-Profit using your forms. The "Smart" portions have made it easy for me to use them and to tailor them for my client’s needs. I’ve been drafting llcs for years, but never realized how the "Smart" portions could help speed up the process. The Smart Legal Forms are so good I barely had to change anything in the company and non-profit articles. It saved me about an hour in time on each form. I’m a huge fan of AllLaw.com for its forms as well. Thanks for the great product!"
Common Uses of Intelligent Legal Forms
The most common areas for the use of Smart Legal Forms are wills and estate planning, contracts and agreements, lease agreements, real estate sales and purchases, incorporation of businesses and incorporation of non-profit entities.
Wills and estate planning is the single most popular topic on our site. Every U.S. adult over the age of 18 is expose to legal liability at some point so in all fairness, everyone should have a will and advance directives in place. Life changing events such as the birth of a child or the purchase of a home often send people out to acquire a will and estate plan to secure their loved ones future.
Contracts and agreements are also a hot topic on our site. Virtually every personal and business transaction includes an agreement of some sort to memorialize and confirm the terms of the arrangement. For small agreements such as used car sales, lawn maintenance, or pet care, the parties need not split the expense of hiring a lawyer if they can easily write their own. Small business agreements such as temp-to-hire, vendor services, loan, sales commission, purchase orders and master services agreements form the foundation of many successful small business’ bottom lines.
Lease agreements are another area where smart forms are commonly used. Single family rental homes, apartment leases and warehouse or storage unit leases are commonly used forms for these transactions. A legal fee may be avoided if both parties are comfortable with their rights and responsibilities under an easy to use smart legal form.
Selecting the Appropriate Choice of Intelligent Forms
When seeking the best pre-drafted smart legal forms for your current needs, there are a variety of factors to keep in mind. User reviews on independent review sites, as well as feature comparisons available on review sites, are useful for determining which provider will be the best fit. Use of smart legal form creation software should not only be easy but intuitive, without a steep learning curve. Platform features are another important factor in the decision-making process. While many providers offer similar features, it’s at the user experience level that Smart Legal Forms vary most . Features to compare include cloud storage options, commonly-used form templates, the database size, number of legal documents available for different purposes, and flexibility in customizing a template document. Ultimately, the documents generated need to be legally accurate, and should reflect the most current laws for that type of document in the state of intended use. Those who have experience using a smart legal forms creation platform should be able to provide accurate feedback when comparing user reviews with other providers. Customer support availability is another key element, particularly before you can identify the type of support needed. For example, will phone or chat support be available to guide you through the features?
Concerns About Intelligent Legal Forms
Smart legal forms are not without their fair share of concerns. Here are some that we have heard over the years:
1. My data will be hacked
To understand this issue better, it is important to remember how smart legal forms work. By and large, smart legal forms are an expeditious alternative to traditional forms by using some level of technology to assist in their preparation. This typically means that software will be provided by the provider of the smart legal forms. Such software is typically nothing more than a word processing program and some macros to help you read, navigate and confirm your input. By its very nature, such programs can run on a personal computer and be read by that computer’s native software or a downloaded substitute for it. In and of itself, that is not bad. However, it means that the security of your smart legal form is dependent on the security of your personal computer. In addition, many drafting products permit sharing or downloading of the form. Depending on the trade-offs made by the provider in permitting such sharing or downloading, your data may be exposed to others on a shared server. And in the case of many smart legal form services, the software is not just on your computer but on the provider’s server in the cloud. At the end of the day, no matter how the data is secured there remains a risk of hacking by individuals or governments wanting access to a hugh trove of data. The biggest concern is really who will have access to your data and how secure it may be from hackers.
2. My data (and private information) will be shared with others
Like the above discussion, this issue really turns on security and sharing. If your data is secure and the finished documents are secure, then you should not have a problem. However, many providers will "anonymize" the data and then share it. For example, this is commonly done with SEO related content that some lawyers fuss about. Lawyers are concerned that once posted to the web, data is no longer secure. In fact, the worry that your data is not secure is an illusion in this instance. Once data is rendered anonymous, it cannot be connected to you. So, it may show up in other places. But if it is anonymous, it is simply "out there".
3. I will get mistakes in my document
This is also a real issue but one that is mitigated once you understand it. In order to do a good job of drafting, you need good software to do all of that editing and proffering that we talked about above. Not only is that expensive but the software has to be kept updated a number of times a year. In order to protect you the consumer, most providers set up a two step process that gives you a guarantee of some type. In the most simplistic sense, once you pay that fee, if there is ever any problem with the document that you receive, the provider will be responsible. Not only do many providers have something like this in place, even larger and more complex services like Lexis®Nexis®, Westlaw® and Bloomberg® are protected by an absolute duty of care – the standard set out in the case of UCC v. Legal Computer Services, 33 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 17 (S.D.N.Y. 2018). So, for the most part, you are protected on the way in and can keep your data and documents secure.
Tomorrow’s Legal Documentation
As technologies affecting the law continue to develop, so too does the legal form industry. As consumers become more tech savvy and turn to forms websites for legal documents, these legal form companies have begun to adopt and incorporate technologies that allow them to be modern and intuitive, yet still legally accurate. Importantly, the future of legal form companies will include developments in artificial intelligence that allow users to interact not only with legal forms, but with intelligent systems that are able to intuitively assess their situations and immediately provide them with necessary documents and information. These systems will increasingly be able to assess the validity and reliability of answers provided by users to better serve their needs, while still allowing the user to select the most appropriate response. These systems will be able to question, advise, and direct users, all while collecting information to better serve both the user and later customers. The future of legal forms will also focus on customization capabilities to meet changing needs, from a business seeking a corporate restructuring to an individual tenant, while also having standard forms and packages readily available in conventional formats across multiple states, with innovative controls that allow a user to maintain flexibility . Rather than being stuck with a standard, one-size-fits-all document with optional disclaimers, users will be able to receive a fully customized document that meets their needs exactly. Form companies must maintain the balance of serving those who may not have a complex or highly individualized need, but want a legally accurate document, while also finding ways to customize forms at a reasonable cost for those who require more tailored products. In addition, these legal form companies will strive to make it as easy as possible for users to obtain forms. The options offered will require no training or outside experience, with easy to use software prompts, walk-throughs, and legal guidance to assist users in every step of the process. Legal form companies will also increase their accessibility through technology, including mobile applications that give users access to documents while on the go; voice or text interaction to allow users to enter information in the way that works best for them; and geolocation technology that provides automatically localized legal documents. These companies will also increase their accessibility through other avenues, including providing brief legal guidance to help users understand the basic implications of the forms they are completing and using automation technology to efficiently and effectively generate mass quantities of legal documents for businesses and individuals.