Sending Documents

There are several ways to send documents out from Lawmatics, including both automated and manual. This can also include e-signature, or just sending a custom document as an email attachment. Let's walk through the different ways to send your documents.

Manual - From Matter's Profile

One of the easiest way to send a document to someone is to do so from their matter page. You'll do this by clicking the blue button at the very bottom of the matter that says Document Actions. You will then click Send Document, unless you are sending a legacy document, which is not very common.

You will then select the document you wish to send, and then you will see the options shown and explained below:

  1. If this is an esiganture document, select whether you would like to send it for esignature, "With Signers", or if you would like to send it as an attachment, "Without Signers".
  2. You have the option to enter a display name that the client will see for this document. This does not change the name of the document template, it will just apply for this particular document for this particular matter.
  3. Select which of your users is the signature Requester. This person will automatically be copied on the audit trail for the document, notifying them when the signer has viewed and signed the document.
  4. Option to set a deadline for the signature request. If the signer does not sign before the deadline, the signature link will automatically become void.
  5. Select your signers. The matter themself will always default to the first signer role, as shown above, and if the document has more than one signer you will then select which of your contacts needs to sign in the additional role(s).
  6. If the document you have selected is a start fresh/custom document, then you will have the option to make one-off edits before sending. Click this button to make those edits. Note, your edits will only apply for this particular matter and will not change the document template.

If you have decided to make edits before sending, as explained in #6 above, then you will see the screen below:

  1. Click here to exit the editor, and go back to the preview of the document.
  2. Easily click right into the editor and make any off-edits needed for this particular document.
  3. Whether or not you have made one-off edits, you will see this option. You can select whether you would like to send this document with the standard Lawmatics email template, entering your email subject and message in the space provided, or if you would like to use your own custom asset email template.
  4. Click Send at the bottom once you have finished your edits, and the document will be emailed out for e-signature.

Manual - From Documents Page

You can also send a document template from the Documents page. This does not allow for one-off edits to start fresh documents like the method above. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Hover on assets and select Documents
  2. Click the eyeball icon on the right side of the page if you would like to preview a document. Once you preview the document you can use the Search Matters box to select a matter to preview the document for. This will merge that matter's fields into the document.
  3. If you notice any mistakes, go back to the matter's profile and make sure to populate those fields
  4. When you are ready to send, you can click the Send button at the bottom of the document preview, or click the pencil w/ underline icon from the main documents page to send the document

Once you've clicked the Send button, you will see the same options explained above. You will see one additional field not shown above, called "Merge Fields From". It is important to select the matter in this dropdown when sending from the Documents page, so that the system knows which of your matter's fields to merge into the document.

Note that you can search for matters by name, email, or case title.

The number of contact signers and firm signers will vary based on the specific document. For Contact Signer 1, you’ll want to make sure you select the matter rather than the contact. If you do choose the contact, it will still send the document appropriately, but in order to see the activity of the document being sent on the matter’s timeline internally, you’ll need to select the matter.

Sending Documents from Automation

Both of the methods described above involve manually sending documents. You can also use Lawmatics to build your document templates into an automated workflow. To do that, start by creating an automation on the Automations page under the Marketing tab.

If you wish to send a document for e-signature, you will use the Request Signature action item. If you only want to send a document as an email attachment, not for signature, then select Send Document.

Most commonly, you will use an automation to send a document for e-signature, so you will use the Request Signature action. Once you select that option, you will see a menu appear on the right side of your screen. Start by selecting the type of document, usually Signable Document, you will then see additional options appear, as shown below.

  1. Only choose the Legacy option if you are sending a legacy HelloSign template. If you are new to Lawmatics, this will not apply to you.
  2. Select which of your signature documents you would like to send.
  3. Since this is an automation, you may want to choose a relative deadline for this signature request as opposed to an absolute date. For example, it may be due 14 days after the request is sent, as opposed to March 1. This selection is optional, if you do not wish to include a deadline you can leave this selection blank.
  4. Select which of your Lawmatics users is the signature requester.
  5. Select the signer or signers, if the document has more than one. Your first signer will usually be the Automation Target, AKA the matter triggering into the automation. Additional signers will usually be a related contact to the matter, so you can select any relationship types like "Spouse" or "Co-Defendant", etc.
  6. Select if you would like to send the document via email, text message, or both. When an e-signature request is sent via text, if there are any firm signers they will still receive the signature request via email.
  7. Option to include a delivery window.

Lastly, make sure you click save to save this automation action.

Managing Signature Requests

If you want to view an overview of the e-signature documents you have sent out, you can scroll down on the Documents page to the section labelled Documents Sent for Signature. Once a document has been signed by all necessary parties, its status will change to completed and you can download it from the arrow icon on the right.

The document will also automatically save to the matter once it is completed, as long as it was sent to a matter signer.

FAQ's

Can I view the document after I have sent it?

Yes, simply go to the Documents Sent for Signature section on the documents page, and click the download button on the far right for that document to view what was sent.

What email address will my documents send from?

Your documents will send from the email address of whichever user you have selected as the Requester for that signature request.

What happens on my client's end when they receive the document link?

Once they click on their document link, whether sent to them via email or text message, they will be taken into the esignature platform to e-sign their document. They will need to agree to use e-signature, and they will then be walked through each required field and prompted to sign/date/initial/etc. Once they sign the document, they will automatically receive an email with a copy of the signed document.

Can I manually send a document via text message?

No, you can only send a document via text message from an automation. Manual document sends will always send to the recipient's email address.

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