The Draft, the Version Before It, and the Stamped Copy
Three people have edited the written statement. Two of them worked on yesterday’s copy. The version that matters is the one going to court on Thursday.
The hunt for the latest version
It starts as an email, becomes a WhatsApp forward, and ends with somebody opening four files to find which one has the senior’s corrections. Meanwhile the typist is waiting. A draft on the matter, with its versions in order, takes that hunt away.
What sits on the matter
Drafts, version after version
The plaint, the written statement, the affidavit, the rejoinder. Each upload is a version, kept in order, with the person who put it up and the date he did.
The filed copy beside the draft
After filing, the stamped copy is scanned and sits next to the draft it came from. Anyone can see what was settled and what actually went in.
Notices, letters and annexures
The legal notice sent, the reply received, the documents the client gave you. All on the matter, not in a folder named after a junior who left.
Open on a phone
The senior in a conference, the junior outside court. Both open the same matter and read the same paper.
Who may open what
Documents follow the matter, and matters can be restricted to named advocates and staff. A file kept from the rest of the office stays kept from them.
The paper file does not vanish
Court copies, originals and exhibits still live in a bundle somewhere. This holds the scan and the draft, and your bundle goes on being your bundle.
Somebody has to scan
The stamped copy reaches the matter because a clerk photographs or scans it. Where nobody does that, the draft is there and the filed copy is not, and no software fixes that habit.
Frequently asked questions
Are old versions kept or replaced?
Kept. A new upload becomes the current version and the earlier ones stay under it, which settles the argument about whose corrections went in.
Can we draft inside the software?
No. Drafting happens in Word, the way your typist works today. What comes back is stored, versioned and attached to the matter.
How large can a scanned bundle be?
Large scans are normal and storage is part of the hosting we run. Offices that scan whole bundles tell us at set-up so the space is arranged.
Who can delete a document?
Only staff you give that right to, and the log keeps what was removed and by whom. Upload rights and delete rights are separate, so a junior can be given the first without the second.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private