LegalBar adds legal functionality while adhering to Word’s best practices for document formatting; its features are found on the Word ribbon, in close proximity to the Word features they enhance. LegalBar’s three modules, Styles and Numbering  (includes Document Cleaning), Templates and File Stamp, can be purchased and implemented separately or together.

Legal Styles & Numbering Tool for Word

For fast-paced document preparation in Word, the use of Word Styles gives you the most efficiency, ease-of-use and document stability.

The LegalBar Styles and Numbering module includes:

• The Firm Styles Guide (a menu of firm approved styles) provides “at your fingertips” access to your firm’s standard styles for body text, headings and numbered outlines and lists. Located on the Word ribbon, it is available from any document.
• The Firm Styles Guide also delivers personal and firm-wide styles sets to your documents.
• The robust Numbering feature lets you modify outlines, save personal outlines, use multiple outlines in a document, and “discover” numbering schemes in existing documents.
• LegalBar’s Document Defaults feature makes it easy to slip a firm-approved theme into any document.  The “look and feel” of your firm’s documents will be consistent.
• Document cleaning tools take any document back to basics and then re-format with styles in a guided process.

Document Cleaning for Poorly Formatted Documents

LegalBar document cleaning tools transform poorly formatted documents into perfectly formatted documents. The Clean and Prepare feature removes unwanted formatting of all kinds (with default choices and the ability to change the types of formatting removes.) The Stylize by Paragraph feature is a nifty way to insert styles (or style sets) into a document and apply them paragraph by paragraph. The Pattern Match feature identifies patterns in the “shapes” of paragraphs. It then removes direct paragraph formatting and creates Word styles to replace it. It maintains existing margins, headers and footers, sections breaks and graphics, providing a “lighter” document cleaning. The Discover Document feature is an analysis tool for understanding the problems in a complex and poorly formatted document, especially one you received from outside your firm.

LegalBar Templates: Firm and Personal

The unique Templates Organizer conveniently groups templates by practice group. Other frequently referred to documents can also be put in the Templates Organizer – it is handy way to make them accessible. Individual users can even save personal templates to the Templates Organizer. LegalBar’s advanced customization and administrative tools allow for the accommodation of multiple offices using stationery logic, as well as the unique formatting requirements of your attorneys. LegalBar’s templates can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook contacts, BEC MatterLink contacts, and third party CRM’s . Templates can be customized with simple fill-in dialogs or can be fully automated with direct access to matter information. All of LegalBar’s templates, including the letterhead, fax, memorandum, and pleadings, are accessed from the Home tab in Word. With LegalBar’s fill-in dialogs, it is simple to generate a completed document with author customizations and complete addressee information. Your users will definitely enjoy the advanced automation and flexibility of LegalBar.

Letter Automation

LegalBar’s Letter Express feature generates a perfectly formatted letter in just a few steps:_ “Pick a recipient, pick a firm standard subject line, use a default attorney as author, done!”_ Letter Express is also a method to transform an existing document into a letter or update ad-hoc letter parts (standard subject line choices, recipients from the matter, new closing and signature, etc.) LegalBar’s Correspondence Tools ribbon tab puts all the letter automation tools in one place. These tools include automated switching of firm stationery alternatives, integration to contacts in Outlook and matter contacts in MatterLink, attorney-based formatting preferences, best practices with Word styles, and more.

LegalBar File Stamp

LegalBar File Stamp automatically inserts document identification as text in the document itself. The file stamp usually includes a document and version number from your document management system. LegalBar is integrated with iManage, Work10, and NetDocuments. The file stamp content can also include the author, typist, client/matter number, a standard prefix or suffix, and the date and time of the most recent save. With LegalBar File Stamp, placement and format of the file stamp is very flexible.