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We face legal forms almost every day, and that is why knowing how to work with various types of legal documents is an essential skill in the contemporary world. Whether you need to buy or sell something, establish an organization, pay commodity bills, make up a will, inherit property, pay taxes, get married or divorced — you have to do a fair share of paperwork first. It is not an exaggeration to say that you would not last a day without dealing with paperwork. Like it or not, that is how human society works, and we have to adjust and play by the rules.
Lucky for you, the 21st century is the age of online advances. Today, all you need to do to file the necessary legal form is open your laptop or smartphone, open one of the template resources, for example, FormsPal Legal Forms, and get the document for free. So, technically, your customized document is only a click away. Convenient, isn’t it?
Today, there are many services and even law firms that offer their form-building software or legal forms templates. They usually provide their users with a monthly or yearly subscription. In return, you can use their database and online tools to create and edit all kinds of documents.
But you should know what you pay for to make an informed decision. In this article, we will review the primary perks and drawbacks of using such online services.
What Are the Benefits?
Paperwork takes up a significant share of our personal and working time. That is why online form-building software and tools are an excellent way of making people’s lives a bit easier. Besides, by using form-editing tools, you can significantly speed up the completion process.
Time and Money Saver
First of all, such services save you time, and time is money. Frankly, time spared for preparing and filing governmental paperwork is already a lot; anybody who has ever done it by themselves at least once knows that perfectly. Not mentioning the time you might spend commuting and looking for an attorney.
Clear Guidelines
Second, such websites usually provide step-by-step instructions and attorney-prepared legal templates, saving you some more money on legal advice and assistance. Usually, each step is accompanied by heaps of information that helps you fill out the parts of the form and answer all possible questions.
Accessibility
Third, you can access the service from home if you have a mediocre Internet connection, which means you do not have to spend either time or money to get to the office of an authority you need to file the paper with. Plus, you can edit the form on multiple devices once you are logged in.
Personalization
Another obvious pro of utilizing an online form-building software source is that you can customize your document the way you want. You can correct it several times in places where needed without having to redo it all over again. If you happen to make a mistake or miscalculate, you can just type in the relevant info via a PDF editor online.
e-Sign
Signing a document is also easy nowadays. If you still think that you will have to print the paper out, sign it, and make a scan to it online, here is an update for you: with the use of encryption technology and digital signatures, you can authorize and file your document with one click. Another perk of using a digital signature is that you don’t have to worry about cyber-crime, as it provides an additional security level to your document.
Validity
Finally, standardization is yet another advantage of using such services. You do not need to hire a lawyer to create simple covenants widely used worldwide, like tenancy agreements, product warranties, receipts, and even tax return forms. Usually, the online form-building software providers these forms in a ready-to-use format.
Thus, amongst the main perks of using online form-building services, we can outline the following ones:
- Saving time;
- Saving money on legal advice and assistance;
- Easy access from almost any location;
- The ability to use the service on multiple devices;
- The ability to correct as you go;
- Customization of a ready-to-use template;
- Access to most common standard legal forms;
- Effortless electronic signing and filing.
Any Drawbacks?
Alongside the many benefits, the online template-providing services have downsides too.
Updates
For starters, some of such services might publish the template and then forget to update it following the latest updates or yearly amendments. This, in turn, leads to people filling out and filing invalid documents. However, in these cases, you will be able to get a refund quite easily.
However, it is relatively easy to overcome such a drawback: just check the latest version of the form you need to fill out and file at the official governmental website and match it to the form template suggested on the online service page. For instance, the IRS always publishes its tax form updates on its official website. Lately, they also encourage people to file tax returns and other forms online.
Privacy
Another possible issue is privacy concerns. People worry that they submit a lot of sensitive personal data that someone could use for fraud or identity theft. Personal data and identity protection are vital nowadays. Thus, you should only choose those services that value their users’ security.
Few options
Some people complain about the inflexibility of online templates. That happens when the online service of choice only provides PDF templates and does not possess an online PDF editor or builder. Using a PDF editor is very convenient because it allows you to edit and customize your templates online and make amends to them as you go.
Complex contracts
You may also find it inconvenient to use such services when comprising contractual agreements containing lengthy terms and conditions (usually employment or shareholder’s agreements). Some of them might not suit the format of an online template yet require that plenty of sections be pre-empted to avoid any possible disputes in the future.
Hidden clauses
Finally, there are often restrictive user disclaimers that people either skip or do not pay proper attention to. It mainly concerns subscription-type websites. Some of them claim that they provide legally enforceable papers and will charge you extra for it or make your form template unenforceable later. Do not accept such restrictions. If you are uncertain about a service you already use, you can check the disclaimer in navigation. Ensure to read the whole text to avoid any misunderstandings or legal disputes with the subject service.
Thus, the primary drawbacks of using the online form-building software are:
- Outdated forms that were not removed;
- Cybersecurity and privacy concerns;
- Possibility of fraud and identity stealing;
- The inflexibility of some online legal form templates;
- Lengthy document creation and editing;
- Unfairly restrictive disclaimers.
Choosing Legal Advice
While it is all straightforward and simple with standard and commonly used legal forms and covenant templates, some cases certainly require legal assistance. We always advise our users to use professional help for certain tax matters or complex contractual covenants, as you cannot possibly know all the legal peculiarities. Besides, legalese is a complicated matter itself, so it may depend not only on the template you use to fill out but also on the wording.
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