If you are a lawyer whose practice involves regularly working with PDF forms, such as those from courts and government agencies, a new generative AI feature from document automation company Gavel could help save you time.

The new feature, Gavel Blueprint for PDF, allows lawyers to automatically convert PDF forms into automated document-generation workflows, automatically identifying the key fields within a document and suggesting the questions to be answered to complete those fields.

It is ideal for lawyers in form-heavy practice areas such as family law, probate, immigration, tax, conservatorships, guardianships, and bankruptcy, Gavel says.

Gavel Blueprint for PDF builds on the core Gavel Blueprint AI technology the company introduced last October. That core technology enables legal professionals to create automated workflows from their existing document templates.

Related: Gavel Review 2024: AI-Enabled Legal Document Automation that Generates New Law Firm Revenue.

“We started Gavel to give lawyers the power to scale their expertise to the public — while building hyper-profitable law firms,” said Dorna Moini, Gavel’s cofounder and CEO. “Generative AI has dramatically accelerated the pace at which we can empower our customers.

“This launch, coupled with our PDF automation product launch earlier this year, means that attorneys in practice areas involving court forms get to participate in the legal technology revolution as well.”

How to Use It

To convert PDFs into workflows using Gavel Blueprint for PDF, the user starts by uploading one or more PDF documents.

Gavel then identifies the fields within the document to be filled in and suggests the questions and data needed to complete those fields and generate the document.

The user has the full ability to accept or reject any of the automated rules that the software suggests, so that all rules are based on rules the user approved. This is important, Moini said, because it eliminates two key issues with AI in legal: hallucinations and unpredictable outcomes due to non-determinism.

Once the user approves the suggestions, the workflow is ready to use. It can be used by someone within the firm to generate documents or externally by clients to add their own information and data.

The new feature is available as of today to all users on all Gavel subscription plans.

“This launch reaffirms Gavel’s commitment to innovation and excellence in legal technology, ensuring that legal professionals have the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital landscape,” the company said.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.