Introduction
Lawyers face a myriad of challenges as they practice in the field of law. Preparing legal contracts for business issues, divorce, and family law are but a few of the topics that need to be taken care of. As a rule of thumb, a professional contract must demonstrate in-depth knowledge, clarity and coherence. The challenge with many lawyers, however, is selecting the best contract review software for the job. In this article, we present the top five programs for writing contracts.
We understand that writing is done in stages, thus, we have divided the tools according to the writing stage where they fit best.
Research Tools for writing contracts:
All forms of writing begin with research and legal contract writing is no different. Lawyers who truly want to demonstrate their A-game in the legal documents they prepare must carry out research on the issue/topic in question. These are two of the best programs for legal research.
· Fastcase:
There are literally thousands of cases throughout the United States which involve some type of contract or the other. In order to cite and source for a relevant date from these legal scripts, Fastcase comes in handy. It is one of the best legal research programs in the market today. In terms of getting price for value, many lawyers have recommended Fastcase on various review sites.
Backed by modern AI-technology, Fastcase is not only easy to use but also very accurate. A lawyer only simply needs to put in search keywords related to the legal document they’re working on, and the program will return a list of relevant cases for citation and research. It is also equipped with a visualization interface where a user can access all data related to a specific case.
· Ross Intelligence
ROSS is a question-based research tool. It is backed by one of the most active machine learning algorithms today that allows the tool to identify your voice query and use it to deliver customized research results. Thus, it makes designing a legal contract faster than, compared to its alternatives. Similarly, the tool allows you to export the search result to any suitable format. One downside, however, is its web-based interface. ROSS is not available on mobile devices and seamless use on-the-go is not possible. Aside from that, it is a great tool for preparing fantastic legal contract documents.
Writing Tools for preparing a legal contract:
While the tools in the research phase enhance a lawyer’s ideation process, the writing stage is where they get their hands dirty. These are the best tools we recommend for writing a professional contract.
· Business-in-a-Box:
Hundreds of legal document templates are included in this all-in-one writing tool and are organized according to relevant subjects. Business-in-a-Box has been in operation for over a decade, providing writing assistance to legal practitioners across 190 countries. It is among the largest electronic record policy management software. To fine-tune the contract to the client’s demands, a lawyer simply needs to download each template and begin working on the areas of the contract as deemed appropriate. It is available on all PC and mobile versions, except android devices. They do not offer a free version and subscription usually starts off from $239.99 on a yearly basis.
· PandaDoc
Pandadoc is another excellent tool for drafting legal documents. Quite similar to Business-in-a-Box, PandaDoc has a vast repository of ready-to-use legal case templates. The ease-of-use interface and sales and CRM integration software are cited by the majority of lawyers who prefer this tool. There is just a lot for lawyers to do on Pandadoc. However, the $59 monthly subscription fee may be a deterrent for some.
· Google Docs
There are a number of different word processors available. While the general purpose of a word processor gives you access to develop documents on your PC or Mobile devices, Google Docs offers more than just these basics. Being web-based means it can help you enhance your document in real-time. Similarly, it allows for easy collaboration when you have to work on a contract with a member of the team. Among its peers, Google Docs will offer you the most security because it stores all your documents directly with Google. What’s more? Google docs work perfectly well with either PandaDoc or Business-in-a-box; should you have a preference for an alternative interface, you can export your files directly to Google docs.
Programs for editing a contract
Although the programs mentioned above can handle the majority of the contract writing process, it is always a good idea to double-check. Legal contracts are sensitive items and a little slip can prove very costly for lawyers. Thus, it is important to employ a good editing tool when putting up a contract. We therefore recommend the following:
· Grammarly
For lawyers, Grammarly is one of the best editing and proofreading tools. It is not only easy to use, but it also has a wide range of features that outshines its competition. In Grammarly, a lawyer can determine the exact kind of word or terms he wants in the contract. When you are in doubt, Grammarly helps you fix any error related to clarity, content delivery, and overall engagement.
· Burton’s Legal Thesaurus
This software is a repository of all legal terms that you may wish to use when preparing a contract. Since no editing or proofreading tool can guarantee 100% accuracy, you can use this thesaurus to remove redundant or inconsistent words and increase the overall delivery with registered terms.
CONCLUSION
Writing a contract can be overwhelming, especially in large firms where new job briefs keep flowing in. A smart way to handle the pressure of preparing cutting-edge contract documents is to employ programs that can automate the entire writing process- from scratch to the finalization of a contractual agreement. Ready to get started? Choose from any of the tools above to build a professional contract.
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