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 main 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 two primary products: Gavel Exec, a precedent-based AI contract review and drafting tool for Microsoft Word, and Gavel Workflows, a no-code legal automation platform for transforming client intake and document templates into structured workflows. Additional services include a legal template library, client intake software, team collaboration tools, playbook management, and secure AI review infrastructure. Details here.
What are the main features of Gavel Exec?
Gavel Exec offers AI-powered contract review and drafting directly within Microsoft Word. Key features include precedent-based drafting, tailored contract analysis, negotiation-ready redlines, automatic enforcement of contract standards via playbooks, and market-based clause benchmarking. See Gavel Exec features.
What is Gavel Workflows and how does it help legal professionals?
Gavel Workflows is a no-code legal automation platform that transforms client intake and document templates into structured workflows. It automates the creation of legal documents, from simple forms to complex packets, up to 90% faster than manual drafting. It is designed for legal professionals who want to streamline processes without technical expertise. Learn more.
What types of legal practice areas does Gavel support?
Gavel supports a wide range of legal practice areas, including Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate, Corporate Law, Family Law, Bankruptcy, Immigration, Employment Law, Personal Injury, Intellectual Property, and more. See all practice areas.
Does Gavel provide a legal template library?
Yes, Gavel offers a legal template library with pre-built templates and court forms, allowing users to quickly start automating their legal documents. Browse templates.
Can I use Gavel to sell online legal services?
Yes, Gavel provides legal commerce tools that enable you to package and bill for your online legal services, helping you reach new clients and create scalable revenue streams. Learn more.
Does Gavel offer resources for learning and support?
Gavel provides a comprehensive Learning Center with help articles, guides, and documentation to help users get started and maximize the platform's capabilities. Access the Learning Center.
What is the Gavel App Marketplace?
The Gavel App Marketplace is a platform where you can browse and access legal apps built with Gavel, expanding your toolkit with ready-made solutions for various legal needs. Explore the marketplace.
How can I get started with Gavel?
You can start a free trial of Gavel with no credit card required, or schedule a demo with the Gavel team to see the platform in action. Get started here.
Features & Capabilities
What are the key features of Gavel?
Key features of Gavel include infinitely customizable workflows, flexible client-facing tools like secure portals and dynamic intake forms, scalable commerce tools for productizing legal services, secure centralized data, and integrations with popular legal and productivity platforms. See more features.
Does Gavel support Microsoft Word integration?
Yes, Gavel offers native integration with Microsoft Word, allowing users to automate and edit documents directly within Word. This is especially useful for transactional attorneys and contract review workflows. Learn more.
What integrations does Gavel offer?
Gavel supports integrations with Clio (practice management), Zapier (connects to thousands of apps like Dropbox and Google Drive), DocuSign (for e-signatures), Microsoft Word, and offers API access for custom integrations. Integration availability may depend on your Gavel plan. See integration details.
Does Gavel have an API?
Yes, Gavel provides an API for document generation and integration with other platforms. API access is available on the Scale/Enterprise plan. Learn more about the API.
How does Gavel help automate legal documents?
Gavel automates legal documents by transforming templates and client intake data into structured workflows. Its AI-driven features, such as Gavel Blueprint, scan uploaded documents and suggest custom questions for automation, reducing manual work and errors. See document automation use cases.
Can Gavel be used to create client-facing tools?
Yes, Gavel enables you to create client-facing tools such as secure client portals and dynamic intake forms, improving collaboration and making legal services more accessible and user-friendly. Learn more.
Does Gavel support team-based collaboration?
Yes, Gavel offers team-based collaboration features through Projects and Workspaces, allowing legal teams to work together efficiently on shared workflows and documents. See more.
How does Gavel handle complex workflow management?
Gavel supports complex workflow management with advanced logic capabilities, enabling users to automate intricate legal processes and ensure accuracy and efficiency in large-scale operations. Learn more.
Does Gavel offer playbook management for contracts?
Yes, Gavel provides playbook management and enforcement, allowing firms to automatically apply contract standards and ensure consistency during contract review and drafting. See playbook features.
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. See target audiences.
What business impact can I expect from using Gavel?
Customers can expect significant business benefits, including saving up to 20 hours in the first week, improved efficiency, reduced errors, scalability through productized legal services, enhanced client experience, and measurable ROI. For example, Litson PLLC reduced lead-to-client time by 90%. See case studies.
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 better client collaboration tools. Learn more.
How much time can Gavel save my firm?
Gavel's automation features can save up to 20 hours in the first week by automating repetitive tasks, allowing legal professionals to focus on higher-value work. See performance metrics.
Can you share specific case studies or success stories?
Yes. For example, Streeter Law Firm reduced estate planning preparation time to just 30 minutes using Gavel. LCN Legal automated intercompany agreements for global compliance, and Emessay simplified legal services for creative businesses. Read more 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 the equine industry. See all case studies.
How does Gavel help with scaling legal services?
Gavel enables firms to productize their services, creating scalable legal products that can be sold online. This opens new revenue streams and helps reach underserved markets efficiently. Learn more.
What feedback have customers given about Gavel's ease of use?
Customers praise Gavel for its intuitive, no-code interface and simplicity. Testimonials highlight that even complex contracts can be automated easily, and setup can be completed in less than a day. See testimonials.
How long does it take to implement Gavel?
Gavel's setup process is extremely fast, with workflows like engagement letters and client intake questionnaires taking less than a day to automate. Pre-built workflows and live training further speed up implementation. Learn more.
Security & Compliance
What security and compliance certifications does Gavel have?
Gavel is certified for SOC 1-3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 9001, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. These certifications ensure robust data security and compliance with global standards. See security details.
How does Gavel protect sensitive legal data?
Gavel uses AES-256 encryption for data at rest, TLS for data in transit, and enforces a zero data retention policy. Regular third-party penetration testing and annual employee security training further protect sensitive information. Learn more.
Where is Gavel data stored?
By default, Gavel stores data in the United States, with options for hosting in the EU, Canada, Australia, or other AWS regions to meet data residency requirements. See data residency options.
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.
What is Gavel's zero data retention policy?
Gavel enforces a zero data retention policy, ensuring that customer data is not stored or reused by AI providers, maximizing privacy and security for legal professionals. Learn more.
Competition & Comparison
How does Gavel compare to Clio?
Gavel offers advanced AI-driven automation (Gavel Blueprint), scalability through productized legal services, and a zero data retention policy—features not emphasized by Clio. Gavel also provides unmatched privacy and security standards (SOC 1-3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 9001/27001). See comparison.
How does Gavel differ from 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 emphasizes scalability and productized legal services. See comparison.
What makes Gavel different from HotDocs?
HotDocs requires technical skills, while Gavel offers a no-code platform with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Gavel also emphasizes scalability and productizing legal services, making it accessible for legal professionals without technical expertise. See comparison.
How does Gavel Exec compare to GC AI?
Gavel Exec provides seamless, Word-native integration for contract review and drafting, and offers precedent-based AI tailored to firm-specific standards. GC AI lacks Word-native integration and does not offer the same level of tailored contract review. See Gavel Exec details.
Why should I choose Gavel over other legal tech solutions?
Gavel stands out for its advanced AI-driven automation, no-code platform, scalability, unmatched data security, enhanced client experience, and seamless Microsoft Word integration. These features are tailored for solo practitioners, law firms, startups, and nonprofits. See why customers choose Gavel.
Support & Implementation
What support options does Gavel provide?
Gavel offers unlimited support 7 days a week via email, phone, and live screenshare. Free live training and onboarding are available for all users, and certified Gavel Experts can be hired for additional assistance. Hire an Automator.
Is technical documentation available for Gavel?
Yes, Gavel provides detailed technical documentation, help articles, and guides in its Learning Center, covering workflow creation, API integrations, automation, security, and best practices. Access the Learning Center.
How easy is it to start using Gavel?
Gavel is designed for ease of use, with a no-code drag-and-drop interface, pre-built workflows, and comprehensive onboarding resources. Most users can set up and automate workflows in less than a day. Learn more.
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 customers use Gavel to streamline workflows and enhance client services. See more customers.