How Family Law Document Automation Tools Improve Your Firm’s Accuracy

Family lawyers see the range of relationships, from adoptions and prenuptial to dissolutions and custody battles. And you passionately advocate for their clients, leading with support and compassion. Family law teams must manage client expectations during representation while gathering personal and financial information and quickly preparing necessary documents like emergency and temporary orders. But without family law document automation software, it’s difficult to keep up. 

Save time and increase productivity by automatically filling your firm’s forms and documents. In a dynamic, demanding field like family law, every second counts, and automating document filling helps lawyers focus their energy on providing top-notch client representation and support. 

Challenges faced by family law practices 

Being a family law practitioner can be quite the juggling act. You’ve got a constant stream of new developments during your cases, mountains of motions and orders to sift through, and a never-ending task list. 

Case information continuously changes 

As family law cases move forward, it is important to stay on top of new developments. This includes changes in the parties’ living situations or unexpected life events. Keeping all this information organized and easily accessible is crucial for successful case management. 

Relying on a single source of truth significantly streamlines the process and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Centralizing your cases allows you and your team to quickly gather necessary information, draft documents, and conduct legal research without searching through scattered records. 

Legal document automation can become an integral part of optimizing all your family law workflows. Download the template checklist to get your firms tasks organized and efficient. >>

Your team is buried in documents 

Staying organized and on top of all critical deadlines is crucial for protecting your family law clients. However, managing the constant influx of documents and information can be overwhelming. You initiate proceedings by filing appropriate documents with the court and working discovery to gather evidence. Once the matter ends, you must prepare documents to protect your client’s rights with third parties and handle tasks like transferring insurance policies and retirement plans. 

Repetitive tasks stunt growth 

Setting up new divorce matters, annulments, and dissolutions of civil unions can be easy for experienced teams to complete, but they consume a significant amount of time. Relying on technology to handle repetitive tasks is a game-changer for small firms. Not only does automation free up time and resources, but it also allows for increased efficiency and the potential to scale and take on more work. 

A case management system streamlines the process of handling various cases, allow for each matter to be customized, and automatically fill in relevant information on documents. Implementing automation in certain processes can also help prevent bottlenecks in your workflows. 

Features to look for in family law document automation software 

A family law firm must have a reliable document management system in place. The right software helps streamline workflow and improve overall productivity. 

Be sure to consider user-friendliness, and flexibility in creating custom templates when evaluating your options. The family law firm document automation software should also facilitate collaboration with colleagues and secure storage of sensitive client information. 

Learn more: Smokeball’s guide to end-to-end law firm automation

Here are two essential features to look for in your family law document automation software.   

Adding child support details 

Tracking all the details associated with child and spousal support is crucial. Your family law firm document automation needs to have the capability to accurately track all details related to support payments. This includes noting payment frequencies and beginning and end dates and keeping records of the obligor and obligee roles. 

Your software must also manage information related to the non-custodial parent’s income and expenses, child support calculations, and payment arrangements. These features allow for smooth management of support obligations, making the process less stressful for all parties involved. 

Tracking employment information 

Employment details are often a pivotal factor in settlements, so it’s important to have a reliable system for tracking this information. 

Look for software that allows you to easily enter and track multiple employers and their corresponding details. Storing all this information in one central location saves time and ensures your team always has access to the most up-to-date and accurate information. 

Types of documents family law practices should automate 

You need access to the most up-to-date forms and documents for your client’s cases. Your team constantly drafts and updates these forms, including petitions for dissolution and parentage, responses, summons, motions, and subpoenas. Smokeball offers an extensive Form Library with over 20,000 up-to-date legal documents, forms, and letters for any family law firm. 

Standard family law forms 

Petitions and responses to petitions are commonly used in divorce or parentage cases to present an initial statement of facts and request specific actions from the court. Other common forms include letters, summons, notices of motion, discovery requests, and subpoenas. Motions may also be filed regarding matters such as support, attorneys’ fees, custody, and possession of marital property. These forms help you communicate effectively with the court.  

Customize your existing forms  

Your firm likely has many proprietary, templated documents and forms for your family law matters. Smokeball turns those documents into custom templates. Our experienced team works with your firm to handle your templates and code them for easy automation. This partnership saves you time in the short term and pays dividends in the long run. With our white-glove service, custom forms are just one more way we strive to support and empower busy law firms like yours. 

 There is no one-size-fits-all approach to family law cases, from divorces and custody matters to guardianships and adoptions. Investing in a case management system tailored to family law is crucial. When it comes to drafting documents, automation software allows you to pull from the related matter to generate accurate documents quickly. No more repetitive copying and pasting; you focus on the vital task: serving your clients during difficult times. Ultimately, reducing repetition helps you achieve better outcomes for all parties involved.

Streamline your firm with family firm law document automation

Organization is crucial to your family law firm’s success, but it can be incredibly challenging when you’re managing multiple document templates. Without a streamlined process, mistakes and delays can occur when searching for the correct template or inputting data. However, utilizing  can save significant time and increase accuracy. This technology provides a central location for storing and accessing templates and allows for seamless import of multiple documents and gathering client information from your CRM. Investing in a high-quality document management software can ultimately enhance the productivity and success of your organization.