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PDF editing in law firms

PDF editing in law firms

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Contracts, agreements, and legal documents are typically in PDF format, and these files play a critical role in the legal profession, therefore PDF editing and manipulation is crucial for law firms. However, traditional PDF software is often expensive, challenging to use and lacks necessary features that law firms require. In this article, we will explore the challenges that law firms face when dealing with PDF files. We will also look at how Kutana+Brochet’s Kappris PDF Editing functionality offers a cost-effective and intuitive solution to these challenges.

The challenges of PDF editing and manipulation

The biggest challenge of PDF editing and manipulation is the cost. Adobe Acrobat and PDFDocs are the most widely used PDF software, but they are premium products that are expensive for most law firms. Additionally, the features are often overcomplicated and challenging to locate from the drop-down menus. As a result, many solicitors find themselves struggling to use the software effectively, wasting valuable time and resources in the process.

Another challenge of PDF editing is the lack of integration with other tools. Law firms rely on various tools and software to manage their operations, and it can be difficult to get different systems to work together effectively. For example, if a lawyer needs to edit a PDF file, they may have to transfer the file to their computer, edit it, and then transfer it back to its original location. This process can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially when dealing with large files or a significant number of files.

The solution: Kappris PDF editing functionality

Kutana+Brochet offers a solution to these challenges with its PDF Editing functionality. Kappris PDF is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. It also means that even those who have never used PDF software before can quickly and easily edit and manipulate PDF files.

DocuSign integration

One of the key features of Kappris PDF Editing functionality is its integration with DocuSign. This integration allows solicitors to easily sign and approve legal documents directly from Work10 or NetDocuments. This eliminates the need to transfer files back and forth between different systems. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors, making it easier to get things done quickly and accurately.

Affordability

Another advantage of Kappris PDF is its affordability. Unlike Adobe Acrobat, which can be expensive for small and medium-sized law firms, our software is designed to be cost-effective. It offers a range of pricing options to suit different budgets. This means that even those on a tight budget can access the tools they need to get their work done effectively.

Security features

Additionally, Kappris PDF offers enhanced security features. Law firms handle sensitive information daily, and it is essential that these documents are protected. With Kutana+Brochet, users can rest assured that their documents are secure. The software uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to protect against unauthorised access. Furthermore, Kappris can be fully integrated with print management systems (PMS) and document management systems (DMS). This increases efficiency and delivers continual savings on license fees.

Versatility

Another benefit of Kutana+Brochet’s PDF Editing functionality is its versatility. Law firms deal with a wide range of different documents, and it is essential that these documents can be easily edited and manipulated to suit their needs. Kutana+Brochet’s PDF Editing functionality offers a wide range of tools and features. This includes the ability to add, delete, or modify text, images, and graphics. This makes it easy to create customised documents tailored to the specific needs of each client.

How can we help you?

PDF manipulation and editing play a critical role in the legal profession. It’s imperative for law firms to have access to the right tools to perform these tasks efficiently. Kappris PDF offers cost-effective, intuitive, and secure PDF editing functionality to meet these challenges. This makes it the ideal choice for law firms of all sizes. Kappris is the perfect tool for managing PDF files in the legal profession. Why? Because it has a wide range of features, integration with DocuSign, affordable pricing options, and ability to integrate with other tools. Read more about our PDF editing and manipulation functionality here and get in touch with us to find out more.

Electronic signatures in law firms

Electronic signatures in law firms

Insights

Electronic signatures in law firms are now lawful across most of the world and for most legal agreements.

The shift from paper signatures to electronic signatures has heralded a change in the legal industry as it constantly evolves and modernises to keep up with changing technologies and demands. Electronic signatures (or eSignatures, e-signatures) offer numerous benefits such as increased efficiency, accessibility, and security. However, there is still a common misconception that electronic signatures are not as professional or secure as traditional signatures. Law firms have faced this dilemma when it comes to sending out letters and other legal documents. The traditional methods of either not signing the document or manually inserting an image of the signature are not only unprofessional but also present security risks and difficulties in managing multiple signatures.

Electronic signatures are a secure solution for law firms

The solution to this problem is the use of e-signatures for legal documents that provide Power BI reporting and audits. One such platform is Kutana+Brochet, which helps law firms to store user signatures in an admin-controlled database. With Kutana+Brochet, law firms can use cursive text straight out of the box, which offers a professional and secure solution. The platform also provides full reporting on who signed what, on behalf of whom, and when. This helps law firms to keep track of all their legal documents and ensures that all signatures are valid and secure.

What is an electronic signature?

The term Electronic Signature is generally used when talking about an image of your own signature and a Digital Signature is when a digital certificate has been added to a document. Read here to find out more about the differences, and the advantages and disadvantages of electronic signatures and digital signatures.

Benefits of using electronic signatures

One of the key benefits of using e-signatures is the increased efficiency that they offer. With electronic signatures, law firms no longer have to waste time and money printing, scanning, and mailing documents. Instead, they can sign and send legal documents electronically, which saves time and money and helps to streamline the process. In addition, e-signatures offer accessibility and convenience, as they can be signed from anywhere and at any time. This is especially beneficial for law firms with remote employees, as they can sign and send legal documents without having to physically be in the office.

Another advantage of using e-signatures is the enhanced security they offer. Traditional methods of manually inserting an image of a signature are not secure and present a risk of fraud. With e-signatures, law firms can ensure the security and validity of their legal documents by using secure electronic signatures. In addition, the platform’s reporting features help to keep track of who signed what and when which can help to detect any fraudulent activity.

Electronic signature functionality from Kutana+Brochet

The key features of the Kutana+Brochet electronic signature functionality are:

  • Users have the ability to sign and send their documents, correspondence, and forms electronically from their desktops with unlimited usage and no unexpected bills. A full audit trail is provided, along with a Power BI dashboard, to make compliance management simple.
  • E-signatures can be used with common applications such as Microsoft Word or PDF, without the need for new software platforms or document uploads into a portal. The user-friendly interface follows the flow of work, making it intuitive to use.
  • Signature images can be accessed directly within Word, and delegate rights for a secretary or partner to sign on behalf of the user can also be granted. Access rights and signatures are controlled through Central Management.
  • Working with PDFs is easy, as signatures, text boxes, witnesses, and approval stamps can be added with a simple drag and drop. The PDF Viewer has sufficient functionality to eliminate the need for third-party PDF software applications, reducing costs.
  • The use of e-signatures helps to keep legal documents organised and easy to manage. With Kutana+Brochet, law firms can store all their signatures in a single, central database, which makes it easy to access and manage. This helps to reduce the risk of losing important legal documents and makes it easier for law firms to keep track of all their legal documents.

How can we help you with your electronic signatures?

The use of electronic signatures for legal documents that provide Power BI reporting and audits is a solution to the problems faced by law firms. By using electronic signatures, law firms can save time, and money, and improve the efficiency, accessibility, and security of their legal documents. With platforms like Kutana+Brochet, law firms can take advantage of the benefits of electronic signatures and ensure that their legal documents are professional, secure, and easy to manage. Read more about our electronic signature functionality here and get in touch with us to find out more.

 

iManage Work10 and DocuSign integration

iManage Work10 and DocuSign integration

Insights

iManage Work10 and DocuSign integration is not an out-of-the-box solution. It requires users to manually import and export files between the two solutions, which can be time-consuming and can impact productivity.

Kutana+Brochet offers a more streamlined, integrated, and efficient solution. We integrate iManage Work10 and DocuSign with powerful PDF editing capabilities, allowing users to send documents directly from Work10 without needing to log in to the DocuSign portal. When the signed document is returned, the system automatically files the document into iManage Work10, eliminating the need for manual filing and reducing the risk of errors.

As iManage Work10 is the leading document management system that many law firms rely on to manage and store their sensitive information securely, having a tool that integrates it with the digital signature platforms, including the most widely used platform DocuSign, makes perfect sense.

Benefits of Kutana+Brochet’s iManage Work10 and DocuSign integration

Kutana+Brochet’s integration of these two platforms means that law firms see a seamless interface with the following benefits:

Streamlined workflow

Sending documents directly from iManage Work10 to the DocuSign portal and receiving the signed document back in iManage Work10, results in a more streamlined way of working and improved productivity.

Simpler user experience

One simple interface, no need to upload documents, merge and edit the PDF and a database lookup for contact information to save on rekeying information.

Improved efficiency

The integration eliminates the need for manual filing saving time and reducing risk.

Enhanced document management

The integration saves documents with more functional and useful filenames, making it easier for users to search for them later.

Convenient signature management

With secure, efficient, and convenient management of documents and signatures in one place. This integration can improve overall productivity and efficiency, making it a wise investment for firms

Secure information exchange

The integration of iManage and DocuSign enables the secure exchange of sensitive information, ensuring the protection of all data during transmission and storage.

These benefits make Kutana+Brochet’s integration solution an excellent choice for law firms as they continually strive to manage sensitive information and ways to improve their document management processes and overall firm efficiencies.

The challenge with iManage Work10 and DocuSign

When a document stored in iManage requires a signature, the document needs to be exported and uploaded into the DocuSign portal. The document is then sent for signature to the relevant parties, who sign and return it electronically from anywhere. Once the signed document is returned, the files need to be downloaded from DocuSign and reimported back into iManage.

Importing and exporting files between the two solutions takes time, impacts productivity, and exposes law firms to a security risk, as users frequently download documents to their desktops.

How can we help your law firm with our iManage Work10 and DocuSign integration?

Kutana+Brochet offers organisations a secure, efficient, and convenient way of managing their documents and signatures in one place. The integration eliminates the need for manual filing, reduces the risk of errors, and saves time, making it an excellent solution for organisations looking to improve how they get documents approved by clients and their document management processes.

By adopting this integration, organisations can improve their overall productivity and efficiency, making it a wise investment for firms. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us or schedule an appointment with us here.

Notes

How do law firms use iManage?

Law firms use iManage as a document and email management platform. It helps them to organise, store and manage their clients’ critical information and communications. iManage provides a centralised repository for all types of files, including contracts, legal documents, and emails. It also includes advanced search and retrieval capabilities, allowing users to quickly find the information they need.

iManage helps law firms to improve their productivity and efficiency by streamlining their work processes and reducing the time spent on manual tasks such as document organisation and filing. It also provides enhanced security measures to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of sensitive client information.

How do law firms use DocuSign?

Law firms use DocuSign to securely sign and manage electronic documents. This allows them to streamline their document workflow, improve document security and ensure compliance with legal requirements. DocuSign enables law firms to send and receive legally binding electronic signatures and to track the status of agreements in real-time.

The use of digital signatures through DocuSign helps organisations save time and resources by reducing the need for paper-based signatures. The digital signature process is secure, quick, and convenient, as clients can sign documents from anywhere, at any time, using any device. This makes it easier for organisations to conduct business, especially for those with clients in different locations. The use of digital signatures and secure document management platforms helps organisations comply with regulatory requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Kutana + Brochet align products to boost User Productivity in the Legal Sector

Kutana + Brochet align products to boost User Productivity in the Legal Sector

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Kutana has acquired a major share of complementary business, Brochet, to build on the strengths of both companies and to offer even more value in support and features to clients.

Both Kutana and Brochet are established independent businesses working in the legal tech sector and founded more than 25 years ago. Between them, they share 40% of the top 200 UK law firms as clients.

The investment by Kutana will enable collaboration in software development around creating and managing documents in Microsoft Word with a focus on future integrations with client systems and client feature requests.

Nikki Pike, Founding Director at Brochet commented:

“We are very pleased to welcome Kutana as a major investor in Brochet. We share a common commitment to simplify user experience and we believe this will secure the long-term future of the business to the benefit of both clients and staff.”

Rob Simcock, Director at Kutana says:

“This is an exciting opportunity and the two businesses are a natural fit.  As an independent group, we will be able to provide more personal, extensive and customised document production support to law firms.”

“The past two years have clearly demonstrated that our clients need and want responsive technical support to help them adapt to changes in working environments.  Sharing the expertise and knowledge across our development teams means we can quickly deliver relevant products and features.”

Kutana Limited is a software development company that created Kappris which integrates with office and printer apps and becomes a part of a digital workflow. It’s intuitive to use and requires very little training.  https://kutana.co.uk

Brochet Limited is a company of software development and document production specialists that global brands and law firms trust to solve their Microsoft Word, PowerPoint documentation problems. They are also built one of the market-leading repair and restyling tools for legal numbered documents Brochet Paste. https://brochet.co.uk

For more information contact Rob Simcock:
rob.simcock@kutana.co.uk

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PDF Editing Software

PDF Editing Software

Insights

With consolidation in the legal software market we are pleased to now include PDF manipulation in our cost effective Kappris offering.

Find out more…

To discover more about our PDF Manipulation & Comparison tool please complete the following and we will contact you within 4 hours.

 

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Find out more…

To discover more about our PDF Manipulation & Comparison tool please complete the following and we will contact you within 4 hours.

 

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Kappris PDF Manipulation includes
  • Full redaction
  • Word Search across the PDF
  • Bookmarks
  • Merge pages & documents
  • Extract pages to create a new PDF
  • Replace pages
  • Add blank pages
  • Insert images, text & highlighting
  • Drag & drop e-signatures
  • Add a stamp & add text to PDFs
  • Compare PDFs for deletions & extra text added
Kappris Standard Features
  • Docusign digital signature integration including witnessing with 2-factor authentication
  • Multiple e-signatures in Word & PDF documents
  • E-signatures with full audit trail
  • BI Dashboard on all aspects of Kappris including emails printed
  • PMS/DMS integration
  • Print Management
  • Outlook integration – print last email, attachment handling including zip files, preview attachments before printing, bug reporting and error handling
  • Home working printing, ensuring it’s the same interface for employees when printing from home, and of course being able to generate reports on what has been printed off site.

 

Electronic Signatures – The Law Commission’s Statement of Law

Electronic Signatures – The Law Commission’s Statement of Law

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Execution with an electronic signature – what does it mean for your organisation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the in-person signing of deeds and documents impractical and created a nation of ‘remote’ workers.

Mercury-compliant ‘virtual signings’ (where the signature page of a hard copy document is signed in wet-ink and a PDF of the signed signature page is typically sent by email to the signatory’s lawyer following the guidance in the Law Society’s 2010 practice note on the execution of documents at a virtual signing or closing) are the preferred method for many businesses executing transaction documents.

However, the use of electronic signature platforms such as Adobe Sign and DocuSign can, in many circumstances, provide a viable, and arguably often more user-friendly, alternative and they are gaining increasing traction in the market.

This article sets out the full text of the Law Commission’s 2019 statement of law relating to the electronic execution of documents in England and Wales.

To help you evaluate the statement in the context of how you may wish to use electronic signature platforms within your organisation, the text has been annotated to provide guidance on the interpretation of the statement’s propositions and links to relevant legislation and case law.

This article is an edited, updated and extended version of an article originally written by Richard Oliphant (consultant, CMS) and published by Practical Law (Thomson Reuters) in March 2020. The statement of law is reproduced under Crown copyright and contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 

 

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