A Busy Lawyer’s Guide to
Managing Documents
and Court Forms
Learn how to create a scalable document workflow to
consistently produce error-free documents
April 12, 2022
Joshua Lenon - Lawyer in Residence

Lawyer in Residence
6
Joshua Lenon
TODAY’S SPEAKER
● Attorney admitted into New York
● Certified Privacy Professional
● @JoshuaLenon

Legal Document Technician
7
Joe Kaczrowski
TODAY’S SPEAKER
● Attorney admitted into Minnesota
● Certifications in Data Engineering for AI
● Former Senior Director of Minnesota State Bar
Association

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Agenda
● The Shift to Production, Storage, Accessibility, and
Submission Of Legal Documents and Court Forms with
Cloud Computing
● Best Practices for Creating Flexible Document Workflows
and Templates Resources
● Use Document Automation Solutions to Keep Information
Secure, Reduce Errors and Malpractice Risk
● Improve Efficiency, Accuracy, and Ultimately Profitability
● Further Resources
● Questions

Legal Documents
and Court Forms
with Cloud Computing

Cloud usage by category

15
62%
supported electronic documents
and e-signatures
– Melissa, Senior Paralegal
“As much as we appreciate more
electronic communication features and
video chat, the clients do too. They
don’t have to take off a half day of work
to drive over here to sign paperwork.”

30
79%
of law firms storing firm data
in the cloud

31
62%
supported electronic documents
and e-signatures

Creating Flexible
Document Workflows
and Templates

33
● Know court rules and requirements
● Mandatory form use vs suggested content
PDF vs DOCX

Use of Court Forms
● PDFs
○ ‘Smart Forms’ vs Flat PDFs
● Fill-in-the-blank forms
○ Issues
■ Data reuse
■ Human error
○ Document Automation
● Word Templates
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35
● Copy/Paste
○ Issues
■ Errors of Omission and Errors of
Inclusion
■ Human Error
■ Time-Consuming
■ Data Reuse
■ Metadata
■ Client Confidentiality -
Overlooked Past Client Info
■ Grammar mismatches
Working with Word
Documents

36
● But first…
Word Document
Automation

37
Garbage In à
Garbage Out

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● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

39
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

40
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

41
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

42
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

43
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

44
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (removing metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)
Greg Maxey on Styles

45
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

46
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

47
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

48
● Paragraph and Section Numbering
○ Continue Numbering
○ Defining New Numbering Style
● Tab Stops
● Cross-References
● Tables
○ Auto-calculation
● Styles
● Images (Alt Text - Accessibility)
● Headers and Footers
○ Automatic Page Numbering
○ Section Breaks
● Document Inspector
○ (Removing Metadata)
Use the ‘Free’ Stuff
(Built-in MS Word features and functionality)

49
● Templates capture institutional knowledge
● Share and retain legal expertise in systems
not people
Knowledge
Management

50
● Identify common elements and
reused data
● Add rules (conditional logic)
Building Robust
Templates

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● Template Sets
● Workflows
Moving Beyond
Single Templates

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● Fit with firm’s processes and
workflows
● Rule 1.1 comment 8 (Maintaining
Competence)
○ [8] To maintain the requisite knowledge and
skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of
changes in the law and its practice, including
the benefits and risks associated with
relevant technology, engage in continuing
study and education and comply with all
continuing legal education requirements to
which the lawyer is subject.
Understand the strengths
and weaknesses of
automation tools

53
CLE Participation Poll
*Required for CLE Credit
You must click “Yes” to verify
your attendance during this
program for CLE purposes

Use document
automation
solutions to keep
information
secure, reduce
errors, and
malpractice risk

55
ABA Profile of Legal
Malpractice Claims
2016-2019
Topmost error accounts for 35% of
all claims errors
1. Preparation, Filing,
Transmittal Documents
2. Commencement
Action/Proceeding
3. Advice

Types of Alleged Errors
19%
52%
17%
12% Adminstrative
Substantive
Client Relations
Intentional Wrongs

Most Common Alleged Errors
15.90%
9.09%
8.22% 7.40% 7.35%
Failure to Know / Properly Apply Law Failure to Follow Client Instructions
Inadequate Discovery / Investigations Failure to Calendar Properly
Planning Error- Procedure Choice

Duty of Competence
ABA Model Rule 1.1
[Comment 8]
“To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should
keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the
benefits and risks associated with relevant technology, engage in
continuing study and education and comply with all continuing
legal education requirements to which the lawyer is subject.”

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Use technology to
minimize malpractice risks

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Submission Requirements
Avoid having filings rejected for
preventable reasons by using
templates that assign:
● Margins
● Font choice
● Spacing
Keep Templates/Rules Up to
Date
Use templates that update
automatically to the most recent
forms.
Never be caught off guard from a
rules change.
Legal Technology Adapts to Different Legal Needs
Apply information across
submission bundles
Advanced drafting technology can
draft bundles of documents.
Most matters require packets of
documents, not just one at time.
Use matter intake to collect and
populate data across all the
necessary documents to avoid
drafting errors.

Nonlawyer Supervision
ABA Model Rule 5.3
(b) A lawyer having direct supervisory authority over the
nonlawyer shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the
person’s conduct is compatible with the professional obligations of
the lawyer…

Continuous Ethical Duties
NY Ethics Opinion 842
Lawyer should stay abreast of
technological advances to ensure that
the storage system remains
sufficiently advanced to protect the
client’s information, and the lawyer
should monitor the changing law of
privilege to ensure that storing
information in the “cloud” will not
waive or jeopardize any privilege
protecting the information.
CA Formal Ethics NO. 2010-179
Because of the evolving nature
of technology and differences in
security features that are
available, the attorney must
ensure the steps are sufficient
for each form of technology
being used and must continue to
monitor the efficacy of such
steps.

Improve
Efficiency,
Accuracy, and
Ultimately
Profitability

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Court Forms
● Save time and avoid errors
● Access up-to-date libraries of
thousands of official forms
● Re-use client and matter
information
○ Enter information once
○ Save regularly used form sets
○ Combine with Word Templates
Cloud-based Court Forms
Now offering CA, IL, TX, GA, NY,
FL, OH, MI, MA, MD, WA, & WI

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Court Forms
● 11 jurisdictions currently available to
subscribe (USCIS, CA, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD,
MI, NY, OH, & TX)
● New states being added every month
○ WA, WI mid-April 2022
○ CO, NC, NJ, PA coming soon
● Libraries include state level forms and
forms from top 3 most populous counties
● Forms are updated when new court
forms are released by the court; also
actively monitoring legislation and court
rule changes
Cloud-based Court Forms
Now offering CA, IL, TX, GA, NY,
FL, OH, MI, MA, MD, WA, & WI

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● Calculate dates automatically
○ Including local rules & differing
definitions of days
● Identify opposing parties’
deadlines
● See the rules behind the
calculations for piece of mind
● Automatic updating of rules
● Request new rule sets
Rules-based
Calendaring

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● Share documents with teammates without
worrying about uploads and downloads
● Client portals let clients upload and review
documents
● Built in e-signature software makes document
completion and authentication easy
Cloud-Based
Collaboration

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Additional Resources
and Questions

Clio Manage
Legal practice management software
Our most popular product—the industry’s leading solution
to help manage clients, organize cases, and automate
tedious tasks and month-end billing.
Clio Grow
Client intake and legal CRM software
Standardize the client intake process with online intake
forms, email automation, and e-signatures to build strong
relationships, and get powerful data insights to grow your firm.
The Clio Suite
Legal practice management, client intake and CRMsoftware. Get
unmatched performance with Clio Suite, the industry’s
only end-to-end software solution for your firm.
Lawyaw
New software for solo, small- and mid-sized legal practices that can
help streamline information gathering and document assembly, along
with built-in e-sign and other features.
Visit clio.com/pricing to learn more.
Clio’s Offerings

70
Polls for Non-Clio and Clio Customers
Poll 1: For Non-Clio Customers
Would you like to learn more about Clio?
a.Yes, I would like to learn more
about Clio’s products
b.Attending the Clio Cloud Conference
c.No, I’m not interested
d.No, I’m already a Clio Customer
Poll 2: For Clio Customers
Would you like to learn more about:
a.Adding Clio Grow to
streamline client intake
b.Adding Clio Payments
c.Lawyaw for document automation
d.Attending the Clio Cloud Conference
e.No, I’m not interested
(or I already use these features)

Upcoming Webinars
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● Innovate Legal Online: Building a Successful Law Firm
● [CLE-Eligible Webinar] 5 Things Your Intake Strategy Needs to Take on
More Clients With Ease, May 10
● 2022 Clio Cloud Conference: October 10-11 | Hybrid / Nashville, TN
ClioCloudConference.com
● All Upcoming Webinars & Content:
Clio.com/Resources Page

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Questions

Thank You

Linkedin.com/in/joshualenon
@JoshuaLenon
joshua.lenon@clio.com
888-858-2546
www.clio.com
74
Joshua Lenon
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lawyer in Residence

joe@lawyaw.com
75
Joe Kaczrowski
CONTACT INFORMATION
Legal Document Technician

CLE Information
To qualify for credit, you must:
1. Be logged in on your own device under the email/name you registered with (cannot
share logins).
2. Attend the entire live webinar.
3. Participate in the polls during the live session.
*If you have met the participation requirements, you will receive a personalized CLE/CPD
affidavit from mcle-clio@americanbar.org for the webinar you attended to completion. Please
check your spam or junk folders as these emails often end up there. Please note you have to fill
out an affidavit for each individual webinar. Once you complete the affidavit, you will be able to
download your certificate(s) of attendance and they will be emailed to you as well from mcle-
clio@americanbar.org.