Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a new document assembly program (see article below), an iPad practice management system, a cloud-based document syncing and sharing service, an iPad note-taking app, and an iOS printing utility. Don't miss the next issue.
Simple Assembly of Complex Legal Documents
Legal documents are among the world's most complex. They often require specific layouts, paragraph numbering, tables of contents, etc. And that's just the formatting. The content is equally complex (that's why you get paid the big bucks). This fact explains why so many companies offer document automation software. Ironically, many of these expert systems are complex in their own right, making the adoption rate lower than that of other types of legal software such as practice management systems. One company has attempted to buck the complexity trend while simultaneously rolling out new versions at a furious pace.
Pathagoras 2012 … in One Sentence
Pathagoras 2012 is a document assembly program that works with Microsoft Word.
The Killer Feature
Pathagoras has escaped much of the complexity of its competitors by using Plain Text Variables that you can see within each template rather than hidden fields, and by not requiring a heavy duty database.
That said, databases serve a purpose — for example mail merges. Whether you store such information in a simple Excel spreadsheet or a relational database, Pathagoras 2012's new Instant Database module can connect to just about any database so that you can populate documents automatically.
Other Notable Features
Another new feature — Document Packages — enables you to generate a collection of related documents for a task that you often perform. The templates in these packages behave like other Pathagoras templates for document assembly purposes except that you can fill all the variables across the documents simultaneously.
"Recently, a user wanted a way to select a package of documents that would be automatically saved in a client's folder," President and Chief Programmer of Pathagoras Roy Lasris told us. "We didn't yet have that feature, but we liked it. So we programmed it."
Now officially out of beta, Pathagoras' bar code scanning enables you to insert clauses into documents using bar codes, which you may prefer if you're not a proficient typist.
Other new features include improved search technology, improved table controls, faster access to Pathagoras' major functions thanks to a new navigation system, and resizable screens.
What Else Should You Know?
Pathagoras 2012 sells for $379 for the first license and $250 per license thereafter. Volume discounts are available (e.g., $799 for a three-pack). Alternatively, you can pay $25 per month or $125 for six months rather than license the software if you prefer the software subscription model, which includes all new versions. Learn more about Pathagoras 2012.
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