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The New Word LX Offers a Top-to-Bottom Redesign and Built-in Document Assembly Tools
June 13, 2019
Today's TechnoLawyer Buyer's Guide report covers a Microsoft Word add-in with do-it-yourself document automation, legal-specific formatting tools such as paragraph numbering and table of authorities, and a redesigned toolbar and interface.
The New Word LX Offers a Top-to-Bottom Redesign and Built-in Document Assembly Tools
Drafting legal documents efficiently requires minimizing time spent on administrative tasks such as formatting, repurposing similar documents, searching your document management system for model clauses, etc. Ideally, you should only spend time applying your legal expertise, not your proficiency in Microsoft Word.
Word LX in One Sentence
Infoware's Word LX is the new version of the popular Microsoft Word add-in for ensuring consistent document creation, now with document assembly tools and a redesigned toolbar and user experience.
The Killer Feature
Infoware has combined its three TechnoLawyer award winning products — Word DA, Word LX Professional, and Word LX Enterprise — into one product and then added new features. The inclusion and expansion of Word DA is key as you can now create firm-wide document templates and clause libraries to automate document creation.
You create templates with the Template Designer, which appears in a panel to the right of the document. Insert custom date and text fields for variable content (e.g., party names) by using your mouse to select and assign syntax elements into the document — no programming required.
For more complex documents, the Clause Builder enables you to create a library of frequently-used legal clauses — again without programming. Like the Template Designer, the Clause Builder houses its tools in a non-modal panel that doesn't cover your document. The Clause Builder supports contextual questions for the drafter to ensure correct quantities and usage (singular versus plural, pronouns, etc.). Clause Groups make clauses easier to find — organize them by document type, matter type, practice group, etc.
One click on the Word LX toolbar gives users access to Templates, and another click invokes the Clause Library when working in a document. The Clause Library dialog enables you to select all the clauses you need simultaneously and organize their order of appearance in your document.
The new Clause Builder in Word LX automates legal document drafting.
Other Notable Features
In addition to the new non-modal task panels in Word LX, Infoware also redesigned the toolbar to resemble Microsoft's recent redesign. The Word LX toolbar also features a new layout with five core sections — Create, Assemble, Update, Style & Format, and MultiPrint — that mimic the typical document workflows in law offices.
Select a template, assemble the document, and update document data if something changes. Then format the document — apply paragraph styles and numbering, create a table of authorities and table of contents, and more. Finally, use MultiPrint to print file and original copies, envelopes, labels, etc. across multiple paper trays with one click.
Word LX also offers new tools for administrators. Realtime analytics show usage of features, templates, and clause libraries. Identify underused tools and where to shore up training. Use the Administrator Panel to manage licenses and users, create user roles, restrict access to templates, and convert legacy documents to Word LX templates.
"We are excited to introduce this new version of Word LX, which brings all of our existing features forward to a new ribbon layout and a redesigned user interface with significant workflow enhancements," says President & CEO Dan Sharp. "New template design and document assembly features allow our customers to do even more with our software. We will continue to add new features to our platform to further simplify and enhance document creation for the legal profession."
What Else Should You Know?
Word LX supports both the Office 365 and legacy versions of Microsoft Word on Windows. With Office 365, you can also use Word LX in the online version of Word on any device, including Macs and iPads. Explore Word LX and bookmark the website.
Meet Neil J. Squillante
Neil J. Squillante is the founder and publisher of TechnoLawyer, an award-winning network of free email newsletters for lawyers and law office administrators. Many consider TechnoLawyer the only email subscription they need. Previously, Neil practiced commercial litigation at Am Law 100 firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. He received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and his B.A. from Duke University.
