Frequently Asked Questions
Product Information
What is Gavel and what does it do?
Gavel is a legal technology platform that helps legal professionals automate documents, create client-facing tools, and sell online legal services. It streamlines legal workflows, reduces repetitive tasks, and improves efficiency across practice areas such as Estate Planning, Family Law, Real Estate, and Corporate Law. Gavel offers two primary products: Gavel Exec (AI contract review and drafting in Microsoft Word) and Gavel Workflows (no-code legal automation for client intake and document generation). Learn more.
What products and services does Gavel offer?
Gavel provides Gavel Exec (AI contract review and drafting tool in Word) and Gavel Workflows (no-code legal automation platform for client intake and document generation). Additional services include client intake software, legal template library, team-based collaboration, playbook management, and secure AI review infrastructure. See full details.
What are the main features of Gavel Exec?
Gavel Exec offers AI contract review directly in Microsoft Word, precedent-based drafting, tailored contract analysis, negotiation-ready redlines, automatic enforcement of contract standards via playbooks, and market-based clause benchmarking. Learn more about Gavel Exec features.
What are the main features of Gavel Workflows?
Gavel Workflows is a no-code platform that automates client intake and document generation. Features include drag-and-drop workflow creation, dynamic intake forms, secure client portals, legal template library, and team-based collaboration. It enables automation of documents up to 90% faster than manual drafting. See more.
What practice areas does Gavel support?
Gavel supports Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate, Corporate Law, Family Law, Bankruptcy, Immigration, Employment, Personal Injury, Intellectual Property, and other practice areas. Explore all supported areas.
Can Gavel automate both Word and PDF documents?
Yes, Gavel can automate both Word and PDF documents using custom rules and templates. Users can upload their own templates to get started and leverage Gavel's legal template library for pre-built forms. Learn more.
Does Gavel offer a legal template library?
Yes, Gavel provides a legal template library with pre-built templates and court forms, allowing users to quickly automate common legal documents. Browse templates.
Can Gavel help me sell online legal services?
Yes, Gavel's legal commerce tools enable packaging and billing for online legal services, allowing firms to launch revenue-generating legal tech products that scale. Learn more.
Does Gavel offer client-facing tools?
Yes, Gavel enables creation of client-facing questionnaires, secure portals, and dynamic intake forms to collect data and guide users through decision trees. See client-facing tools.
Can Gavel be used for internal automation and training?
Yes, Gavel can automate internal workflows, empower teams to streamline work, and reduce errors. It supports internal expert systems for document and decision generation. Learn more.
Features & Capabilities
What integrations does Gavel support?
Gavel integrates with Clio (practice management), Zapier (connects to thousands of apps like Dropbox and Google Drive), DocuSign (for document signing), Microsoft Word (native integration), and offers API access for custom integrations. See integration details.
Does Gavel have an API?
Yes, Gavel offers an API for document generation and integration with other platforms. API access is available on the Scale/Enterprise plan. Learn more about API use cases.
How customizable are Gavel's workflows?
Gavel's workflows are infinitely customizable, allowing users to optimize legal processes and adapt to specific needs. The platform supports complex logic, calculations, and nested lists without coding. See workflow capabilities.
Does Gavel support team-based collaboration?
Yes, Gavel offers team-based collaboration via Projects and Workspaces, enabling multiple users to work together on document automation and workflow management. Learn more.
Can Gavel enforce contract standards automatically?
Yes, Gavel Exec uses playbooks to automatically enforce contract standards during drafting and review, ensuring consistency and compliance with firm-specific guidelines. See playbook features.
Does Gavel offer benchmarking for contract clauses?
Yes, Gavel Exec provides market-based clause comparison, allowing users to benchmark contract clauses against industry standards. Learn more about benchmarking.
How does Gavel handle client payments?
Gavel's payment integrations allow firms to collect fees from clients at any stage of a matter, supporting seamless billing for online legal services. See payment features.
Does Gavel provide marketing advice for legal products?
Yes, Gavel's team and community of lawyers offer marketing advice to help users promote their legal tech products and reach new clients. See guides.
Pricing & Plans
Is there a free trial for Gavel?
Yes, Gavel offers a free trial so users can see the platform in action before committing. No credit card is required to start. Start your free trial.
Do Lawyerist members get a discount?
Yes, Lawyerist members receive 10% off on new Gavel subscriptions. See partnership details.
Use Cases & Benefits
Who can benefit from using Gavel?
Gavel is designed for solo practitioners, small and mid-sized law firms, large law firms, legal startups, and nonprofits. Its tools help automate repetitive tasks, scale operations, and serve underserved markets. Learn more about user segments.
What problems does Gavel solve for legal professionals?
Gavel addresses time-consuming repetitive tasks, scalability challenges, data security concerns, resistance to technology adoption, complex workflow management, and the need for enhanced client experience. See more about pain points.
How much time can Gavel save?
Automating repetitive tasks with Gavel can save up to 20 hours in the first week, allowing legal professionals to focus on high-value activities. See performance metrics.
What business impact can customers expect from Gavel?
Customers can expect significant time savings, improved efficiency, scalability, proven ROI, enhanced client experience, and market expansion. For example, Litson PLLC reduced lead-to-client time by 90% using Gavel. See business impact.
Can you share specific case studies or success stories?
Yes, Streeter Law Firm reduced estate planning preparation time to 30 minutes, LCN Legal automated intercompany agreements for global compliance, and Emessay simplified legal services for creative businesses. See all case studies.
What industries are represented in Gavel's case studies?
Industries include legal services (estate planning, family law, equine law), corporate and business law, creative industries, real estate, immigration law, and equine industry. See industry examples.
Competition & Comparison
How does Gavel compare to Clio?
Gavel offers advanced AI-driven automation (Gavel Blueprint), scalability, and unmatched data security (zero data retention, SOC 1-3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 9001/27001). Clio lacks these features and does not emphasize productizing legal services. See comparison table.
How does Gavel compare to Lawyaw?
Lawyaw focuses on backend automation and lacks client-facing tools like Gavel's secure client portals and dynamic intake forms. Gavel also offers advanced AI features and scalability not emphasized by Lawyaw. See comparison table.
How does Gavel compare to HotDocs?
HotDocs requires technical skills, while Gavel offers a no-code platform with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Gavel emphasizes scalability and productizing legal services, which HotDocs does not. See comparison table.
How does Gavel Exec differ from GC AI?
Gavel Exec operates directly within Microsoft Word and offers precedent-based AI contract review tailored to firm-specific standards. GC AI lacks Word-native integration and does not provide tailored redlines based on playbooks. See Gavel Exec info.
Technical Requirements & Support
How easy is it to set up Gavel?
Gavel's setup process is fast—automating workflows like engagement letters and client intake questionnaires takes less than a day. The no-code interface, pre-built workflows, and unlimited support make onboarding simple. See onboarding details.
What technical documentation is available for Gavel?
Gavel's Learning Center provides detailed documentation, help articles, and guides covering workflow creation, API integrations, automation, security, and best practices. Access the Learning Center.
What support options does Gavel provide?
Gavel offers unlimited support 7 days a week via email, phone, and live screenshare. Free training and onboarding are available for all users, and certified Gavel experts can be hired for additional assistance. Hire an Automator.
Security & Compliance
What security and compliance certifications does Gavel have?
Gavel is certified for SOC 1-3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 9001/27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. These certifications ensure robust internal controls, payment security, information security, and compliance with global privacy standards. See security details.
How does Gavel protect sensitive legal data?
Gavel enforces a zero data retention policy, uses AES-256 encryption for data at rest, TLS for data in transit, conducts annual third-party penetration testing, and offers data residency options in the US, EU, Canada, Australia, or other AWS regions. Learn more about data protection.
Does Gavel comply with HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA?
Yes, Gavel is compliant with HIPAA for health information, GDPR for EU data protection, and CCPA for California consumer privacy. See compliance details.
Customer Proof & Testimonials
What feedback have customers given about Gavel's ease of use?
Customers praise Gavel for its intuitive design and ease of use. Attorney Susan S. said, "This software is very easy to use. The coding is simple and intuitive—it's actually fun!" Hilary W. noted, "Take the 7-day free trial and you'll see how easy it is to set up." Read more testimonials.
Who are some of Gavel's customers?
Gavel is trusted by organizations such as Matchstick Legal, Emessay, Adler Estate Law, Instant Family Trust, Horse.Law, and Counselurdocs. These firms use Gavel to streamline workflows and enhance client services. See customer logos.
.png)
