Is It Safe To Use Legal Documents From The Internet?<br/>

What you need to know about using templated legal documents.

It’s no secret that templates can make life a whole lot easier. Whether you’re aiming to cut costs or time, templates have their place in business.

But there are some scenarios where templates are an excellent idea, and some scenarios where they’re a terrible idea—the fact is, there’s little in between.

I’m never going to say templates are a terrible idea across the board. I use them myself! So let’s dive into templates: when they’re right, when they’re wrong, and how to make sure you’re getting the most out of them without compromising your legacy.

When is it a good idea to use a template?

The short answer is: any time you don’t need expert guidance.

So, you might use a template for:

Cash flow projections,
To respond efficiently to enquiries,
Cold outreach,
Letter drops,
Reports, or
Following up invoices

In these scenarios, you’re likely to need to make some adjustments, but the raw structure of the thing—the template—can be used without feeling cut-and-paste. With properly set up business processes and systems, templates can integrate extremely well.

The key here is, in all of these scenarios, you are the expert on what needs to be included. You’re able to take a template (or create one yourself!), identify and pick out the parts that aren’t working for you, and replace them with something that will.

When is it a bad idea to use a template?

The short answer—again—is: for anything you’re not already an expert at.

So, unless you’re an expert in things like:

Accounting
Marketing and advertising
IT management
Research
Human resources, or
Law

Then using templates is likely to do more harm than good.

Unlike the situations where you’re the expert, if you use templates for the services above, you won’t be able to identify what doesn’t work for you and replace it with something that does.

You also won’t have the advantage of expert guidance, because anyone selling templates isn’t looking to provide personalised advice. They’re not going to spend the time getting to know your business enough to tailor these services to your needs. They’re just offering a template: do with it what you will.

The fact is, these things are on offer—and quite frankly, I think it’s rude. Your business isn’t a template, and experts shouldn’t treat it like one.

Of course I’m going to say this includes your legal documents (because that’s my jam) and unless you’re also a lawyer, you’re not an expert in this area.

So templated client service agreements, website documents, employment or contractor agreements—it’s gonna be a hard no from me.

Why? Because you don’t know if they will work; you don’t know if they do what they need to do; and you won’t know until you need to rely on them. Chances are, when you need them the most, they won’t do what they need to and your business is left exposed.

So yes, they might save you time, and they might save you money in the short term. But what’s the true cost?

Get your legal documents right for your business

Hint: you won’t find the right legal documents on the internet.

I think a really good question to ask is: why wouldn’t you have your legal documents tailored properly for your business?

You tailor your social media content on carefully selected platforms; you’ve found a business coach who’s a great fit for you; your website reflects your brand (and not somebody else’s).

But without a business, all of these are pretty useless, right? The thing is, if something goes wrong and you’re not protected, then you won’t have a business anymore.

Read more about creating watertight legal documents here.

It’s more than simply setting out what you have agreed with your client, website user, employee, or contractor. You also need to be sure you are complying with your legal obligations—and depending on what you do in your business, these vary hugely! It’s also about limiting your liability with disclaimers and warranties, and these are never one-size-fits-all.

The TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) of the Great Template Debate? They have their place, but they have absolutely no business in your legal documents.

Want to learn more about running a small business in compliance with Australian business law? Check out our resource: Australian Law 101-Guide for Small Business or make contact with us today.