Although I’m committed to helping anyone who’s interested become an informed consumer of contract language, I think it’s self-evident that automated contract creation is the most effective way to scale rigorous contract language. That’s why I continue to discuss automation with my clients. Some of you might recall that my software of choice is ContractExpress. That […]
Do I Eat My Own Dog Food?
It’s not particularly elegant, but the notion of eating your own dog food is a recognized metaphor in the tech world. Here’s how Wikipedia describes it: Above is part of a post on Contract-Automation Clearinghouse. To see the rest, go here. Contract-Automation Clearinghouse is where I now put my posts on contract automation and related topics.
Some Thoughts on “Bloomberg Law: Corporate Transactions”
Last week I noticed this post on Dewey B Strategic about Bloomberg BNA’s new product “Bloomberg Law: Corporate Transactions. (Gotta love the colon, which gives it an action-movie-sequel vibe.) For Bloomberg BNA’s own announcement, go here. Above is part of a post on Contract-Automation Clearinghouse. To see the rest, go here. Contract-Automation Clearinghouse is where I now put […]
Change: Fast or Slow?
It’s clear what’s required to improve the contract-creation side of a company’s contract process: adopt a style guide for contract language, most likely by means of a “statement of style” (here) train your personnel in drafting and reviewing contracts consistent with the style guide overhaul your templates consistent with the style guide automate your templates, […]
Is There a Downside to Automated Contract Creation?
If you think of yourself as a committed member of the digerati, The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, by Nicholas Carr, might give you pause. Carr shows that as much as automation enriches our lives, it can also impoverish. For example, he describes how all-encompassing flight automation appears to have resulted in a “deskilling” of pilots, leading to […]
Is Contract Creation an Important Part of Your Contract Automation? Then Don’t Do It Using CLM Software
The contract process divides neatly into two parts: stuff that happens before a contract is signed, and stuff that happens after. I never get involved with what happens after signing, unless it has to do with amending a contract. But I try to keep informed, which is why I’ve sniffed around contract-lifecycle-management (CLM) software. See for example […]
How Smaller Law Firms Can Use Document Assembly
A lot of discussion about how smaller law firms can use document assembly—see for example this article—isn’t particularly exciting. You might be left with the impression that it’s nothing more than mail merge on steroids. I’ll now try to explain why that’s not the case. Above is part of a post on Contract-Automation Clearinghouse. To see the rest, go here. […]
Why Contract Automation Isn’t Among Bob Ambrogi’s 10 Most Important Legal Technology Developments of 2014
In this post on his LawSites blog, Bob Ambrogi (@bobambrogi) lists what he considers the ten most important legal technology developments of 2014. It makes for interesting reading, but of course the first thing I looked for was any mention of contract automation. As I would have expected, there was none. Above is part of a post on […]
Reports of Automated M&A Contract Creation Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Over the weekend @bickmark sent the following tweet my way: .@KonciseD Does the quote regarding questionnaire-based automation ring true? Has BigLaw automated the M&A agreement? http://t.co/Ok1R2ZZMhO — Mark B (@bickmark) December 28, 2014 Here’s my transcription of the relevant bit of that Marketplace radio segment: This post is on Contract-Automation Clearinghouse. To see the rest, […]
A Plausible Candidate for Contract Automation: The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO)
Change is facilitated by economies of scale: implementing a document-assembly system for contract drafting becomes more feasible if the aim is to serve many users, not one. That’s why I’ve long thought that it would make sense to have trade groups build document-assembly systems for use by their members. To be more specific, a plausible […]