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HotDocs is document assembly software that can transform any Word or WordPerfect document into an interactive template by replacing the changeable text with special "variables". Once created, the HotDocs template prompts the user for the variable information and creates a finished document.
This process significantly reduces the time it takes to generate customised documents such as contracts, proposals and court forms. It also guarantees that each time a document is created it is handled in a consistent fashion and ensures that the highest standards of quality and accuracy are maintained.
Today, HotDocs is the recognised market leader in document assembly with over 500,000 users worldwide. The software is produced by Capsoft Development, which is based in Provo, Utah. This is a Matthew Bender company and a member of the LexisNexis Group.
The software is easy to learn and use and the user should be able to create their first template in less than an hour. HotDocs templates are created in the word processor so there is no need to use (and learn) a new interface.
The method of producing a document is very flexible. For example, the variable information only needs to be typed in once by the end-user and it then flows automatically to all other relevant places throughout the document - even if the information is formatted differently at other locations of the text.
There are facilities to do arithmetic on the numbers, compute past and future dates, select the right word, sentence or paragraph and gather lists of data. Pronouns, verb tenses and conditional text are all handled by the system. It is also possible to access information held on a database as part of the variable information. Any typed answers can be saved in an HTML "answerfile" and can be re-used in a future document assembly.
Leading publishers, such as Butterworths, Sweet & Maxwell, CCH and Croner, all use HotDocs to convert their precedent material into inter-active forms and templates.
Thousands of people regularly use the Legal Services Commission Forms; it is HotDocs technology that makes them run and so easy to handle. These forms, which are available free of charge, can be downloaded from the Capsoft UK website at http://lscforms.hotdocs.co.uk.
With growing interest in the worldwide web as vehicle for business development, the next step in the product's evolution was to make it web-enabled. The process for online form generation works a little differently to the offline version. First, the person or organisation wanting to publish the forms online creates the templates in the normal way and then places them on their web server.
End-users can then access the forms in a variety of ways i.e. from an intranet, extranet or a website. They can then fill in the interview and once completed the information is sent to the server where the finished document is assembled. The end-user can then download it.
One of the great advantages of this process is that the end-user only requires an Internet browser and either Word or Word Perfect - no special software is needed.
Everyform was once a sister company of Capsoft UK but was bought by Butterworths early last year. By visiting http://www.everyform.net legal firms can gain free access to many valuable legal forms. The user registers on site, downloads HotDocs Player and installs it locally on their PC. Then they can revisit the site, select the appropriate forms packs and install them locally too. This then operates as an offline solution.
HotDocs has already been adopted by twenty-one of the UK's top fifty legal firms. For example, Norton Rose uses HotDocs Online as the platform through which automated documents are provided to clients externally through their Employment Extranet. The service allows clients to generate employment-related documents.
Irwin Mitchell have HotDocs Online templates (wills & trusts and change of name) on their "imonline" site. The client fills in the details online and the document is then generated at the firm and returned to the client.
McGrigor Donald has a secure online deal room and extranet service, known as McGrigor Donald Exchange (MdeX) which incorporates HotDocs software. This provides tailored online services in such areas as electronic document archive, automated documents, client tailored precedents or standard form documents, online billing and status reporting.
While HotDocs can be used as a standalone document assembly package, in many cases clients choose to add its functionality to their case and document management systems. Capsoft UK works with all the main vendors including Axxia Systems, Laserform, Pilgrim Systems, Amicus Attorney and Datacare.
HotDocs is also gaining wide acceptance in the corporate world with companies such as 3i, British Airways, DrKW, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank and Ericsson, and with large government departments
Don MacAskill is Marketing Manager at Capsoft UK. He has over twenty years experience in advertising and marketing. dm@capsoft.co.uk
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