What Are the Costs of Legal Drafting Software?

What is Legal Drafting Software?

Legal drafting software is designed to help lawyers and other legal professionals create, format, and manage documents. Essentially, this tool automates a significant chunk of the document creation process that legal professionals typically do manually.

Drafting software tools have varying features depending on their niche. However, there are several common capabilities you can find in most tools, such as:

• Template libraries: These are collections of pre-designed document templates for various legal forms such as contracts, wills, and leases. These templates comply with legal standards and you can adjust them based on your specific needs.
• Automation tools: Many legal drafting programs offer document automation capabilities that can automatically fill in specific information in documents based on predefined rules. Automation speeds up the drafting process and helps maintain consistency and accuracy across multiple documents.
• Clause libraries: These are databases of standard legal clauses that users can insert into documents as necessary. It saves a ton of time and helps make sure the language you use holds up legally.

How Does Legal Document Drafting Software Benefit Lawyers?

Legal document drafting software has been and continues to be a revolutionary tool in the legal industry–and that’s not an overstatement. Here’s why this kind of document automation has become a necessity in the field rather than a nice-to-have:

Maximizes Efficiency

Automated document generation cuts down a lot of time on creating legal documents. With ready-to-go templates for all sorts of forms and filings, lawyers can quickly tweak what they need instead of starting from zero every time.

Plus, automation fills in the usual client details, speeding up the process even more. This means lawyers can take on more clients or spend extra time diving deep into complex cases, all without sacrificing quality.

Minimizes Human Error

Keeping up with the latest laws and regulations is a non-negotiable in legal practice, and this kind of software software helps by making sure the templates and clauses are always updated.

It’s similar to having a built-in checker that flags potential mistakes or outdated info, which is a lifesaver for maintaining high standards and safeguarding the lawyer’s credibility.

Increases Consistency

When every document a law firm produces looks and reads the same, it speaks volumes about professionalism. 

Legal drafting software makes sure all documents are formatted in a uniform style, which not only looks sharp but also makes them easier for everyone to understand and review.

Reduces Costs

Drafting documents often requires a lot of time and labor when done manually. Legal drafting software aims to address this exact issue by allowing legal professionals to create documents in minutes instead of hours (or even days).

Fewer hours needed for routine tasks means lower overhead costs. In turn, law firms can shift funds to other critical areas like case research or client relations.

Plus, document collaboration and drafting online eliminates the need for paper documents. While it may not seem like much, the savings you get by switching to digital documents add up over time.

Improves Collaboration

Modern legal drafting tools come with high-quality collaboration features that let team members edit documents together in real-time, even from different locations. 

This makes editing drafts and getting approvals smoother and makes sure that everyone’s on the same page, quite literally.

Secures Digital Documents

In the legal world, keeping client information secure is an absolute must. The best legal drafting software has tight security measures in place, like encrypted storage and controlled access, to keep sensitive data locked down.

Information security is important not just for client trust but also for staying in line with strict data protection laws.

How Much Does Legal Drafting Software Cost?

The cost of legal drafting software can vary quite a bit, depending on what you’re looking for in terms of features and scalability. Here’s a quick overview to give you a better idea of what to expect in terms of pricing:

Subscription-Based Models

Most legal drafting software providers opt for a subscription-based model, where you pay a monthly or annual fee. 

For basic features, prices might start as low as $90 per user per month and can go up to $1,500 or more for premium features. This model is ideal because it often includes regular updates and customer support.

For example, Briefpoint.ai will let you generate an unlimited number of discovery response and request documents for only $89 per month (one account, when billed annually). Briefpoint will also let you add an additional account for your paralegal for free when billed annually.

Per-Document Pricing

Some providers charge based on the number of documents you generate. This can be cost-effective for smaller firms or solo practitioners who don’t handle a high volume of documents regularly. 

Prices per document can range widely based on the complexity and customization of the templates.

Briefpoint’s per-document pricing starts at $55 per document with no minimums. It’s a great option if you only have to draft a few discovery documents a year.

Flat-Rate Licenses

A few software options may offer a flat-rate license where you make a one-time payment and own the software outright. This can be a significant upfront cost, but it eliminates ongoing subscription fees. 

Still, updates and support might require additional payments.

Free Versions

There are also some basic versions or tools that might be available for free, which can be suitable for lawyers just starting out or those with very minimal needs. 

However, take note that these free versions usually have limited features and capabilities.

Additional Costs

Beyond the base price of the software, there might be extra costs for things like advanced customization, additional training, or integration with other systems (like case management or billing software).

Why Choose Briefpoint?

Drafting software features span across various legal niches. There’s legal contract drafting software for drafting written agreements, intellectual property tools for firms specializing in IP law, and even litigation drafting software for pleadings.

In the field of discovery, however, Briefpoint is the best tool. This drafting software gives you:

• Comprehensive features

Briefpoint is packed with all the tools you’d want for drafting legal documents. Whether it’s a vast library of templates or customizable clauses for specific cases, it’s all there to make your document drafting quicker and more efficient.

• User-friendly interface

Nobody likes a steep learning curve, and with Briefpoint, you won’t have to worry about that. Its interface is clear and straightforward, making it easy for anyone in your firm to pick up and use.

• Solid support and training

If you ever hit a snag, Briefpoint has your back with excellent customer support and plenty of training resources like tutorials and webinars. This means you can get the most out of the software without too much trouble.

• Competitive pricing

When it comes to cost, Briefpoint offers some pretty attractive options that make it accessible for smaller firms without sacrificing the features that larger firms would need. You can get a great return on your investment, which typically manifests in better legal services.

• Regular updates

The legal field is always changing, and so is Briefpoint. Regular software updates include new features and ensure everything complies with the latest legal standards.

Let Briefpoint Generate Your Legal Documents

Discovery responses cost firms $23,240, per year, per attorney. $23,240 estimate assumes an associate attorney salary of $150,000 (including benefits – or $83 an hour), 20 cases per year/per associate, 4 discovery sets per case, 30 questions per set, 3.5 hours spent responding to each set, and 1800 hours of billable hours per year.

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.