Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
DocPost E-signatures
Why does my own signature count against my quota?
Once upon a time, it was easy to get away with just having a signature image embedded directly in a form template. The other side fills it out, signs, and then it visually appears no differently as the other signatures.
However, e-signature laws and regulations now require certain evidentiary standards to be met and embedded signature images often fail to meet these standards.
Do E-signatures require a lawyer?
No.
DocPost PlayMaker
What is a playbook?
In legal contracts practice, a playbook is the common framing of terms, conditions, and standards by which the organization accepts, negotiates, or rejects deals. There's usually one or more templates that implement the playbook, as the playbook is separate from the actual templates themselves.
Generating a playbook from your existing contracts is merely observational.
Advising you on why changes should be made to your playbook, the risks and liabilities involved, and substantive legal changes that you should improve... that's where a lawyer comes in.
Does DocPost PlayMaker require a lawyer?
No attorney is required for PlayMaker, and you can get a ton of value from it without an attorney.
With that said, you can get significantly more value out of PlayMaker you do have an attorney. DocPost can generate your playbook from your contracts if you don't yet have one, but without an attorney, it's only a historical record of what you've approved (and if you have redlines, what you've rejected).
By law, DocPost cannot tell you about risks, liabilities, of what you should change. Only a licensed attorney can do that.
What kind of business is a good fit for PlayMaker?
DocPost PlayMaker is most beneficial in a couple scenarios:
- Sales has to go to legal for approval on more than 10% of deals.
- Contract turnaround is painfully slow as far too many requests require direct legal approval. This delay typically leads to missed revenue had you closed sooner, or even lost deals.
- Sales or business development teams are making mistakes in using the wrong templates or contract terms for the wrong deals.
- Sales or business development teams are scribbling in the margins or other whitespace on deals, because the contract template doesn't offer the flexibility needed to close the deal.
If you're experiencing these issues, then DocPost PlayMaker is likely a good fit for you.
Why does PlayMaker work?
Although lawyers typically use flat fees or hourly rates, the businesses paying them still need an ROI. Getting a law firm to draft a standard service contract typically runs $5-15k. And every update is often going to cost anywhere from $500-1200 per hour. When the average legal review time on a turnaround is measured in multiple hours, those turnarounds frequently cost anywhere from $3-10k each.
When the prospect asks for a clause outside your acceptable terms playbook, if they're the only ones getting the term, then the ROI needs to be worth it right then and there on that deal. If not, either you risk losing the deal and you've told sales no permanently (because the analysis on the next similar deal is unlikely to be any different), or you fold and accept the risk of their term.
PlayMaker makes dynamic by consistently tracking terms, and pushing the playbook all the way back up to sales. PlayMaker allows offering terms that are much more amenable for each side, while effectively amortizing the cost of that legal solution over all future deals where that term comes up. This doesn't just reduce legal costs — the agility opens up more deal space, market segments that the lumbering behemoths can't play in even if they wanted to.
And with AI eating SaaS market caps alive, the days of SaaS companies charging massive amounts for rigid plans on one-size-fits-all contract templates — that's over. AI means instance customizations, as well as more granular terms to go with them, customized at greater levels than ever. If not, all of that is just more incentive to build it all in-house. So with AI's meteoric rise, deals have more pressure than ever to be as frictionless as possible. PlayMaker is the accelerant that rockets those deals to close.
I have a one-off deal. Does DocPost PlayMaker force new approved terms to be available to other prospects?
No. There are occasionally deals where the conditions of the alternate term are unique enough, or future outcomes are not sufficiently foreseeable, so counsel won't want to make that a permanent option.
PlayMaker audits show where and when alternate terms get applied in practice.
DocPost & Lawyers
Does DocPost require a lawyer?
E-signatures - no lawyer is required for e-signatures.
PlayMaker - no attorney is required, and you can get a ton of value from it without one. But you can get a lot more value with an attorney. We can generate a playbook for your PlayMaker from your contracts if you don't yet have one, but without an attorney, it's only a historical record of risk. By law, DocPost cannot tell you about risks, liabilities, or what you should change. Only a licensed attorney can do that.
Second Chair - yes. Second Chair is only for lawyers, law firms, in-house counsel, and businesses who are represented by counsel. Access to Second Chair requires that you have an active attorney-of-record on your account.
Can DocPost act as my attorney?
DocPost is a legal technology platform built by Goliath Dynamics Inc., a technology company specialized in business automation. We are not a law firm and cannot engage in the practice of law. So no, neither DocPost nor Goliath Dynamics Inc. can act as your attorney.
With that said, we work with attorneys and may be able to refer you to an attorney. The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask the attorney or firm to send you free written information about their qualifications and experience. Ask in support. We do not charge or accept compensation for attorney referrals.
What is a fractional general counsel?
Many small and medium businesses don't yet have the need for a full time in-house attorney, but can't deal with the overhead of a firm billing at $1200 for partner time on 6 minute increments.
Often when a fractional general counsel comes in, there's lots more work to be done in the beginning, auditing contracts and business practices, drafting new documents and policies, and then it becomes much more manageable once its under control. DocPost can help a counsel dramatically reduce that time.
What are the typical costs for a fractional general counsel?
Exact terms vary by counsel, but a traditional fractional retainer typically runs anywhere from $1-$5k per month. That often (but not always) includes some sort of regular check-in or open-door office hours, as well as minor transactional work for a few hours a week. Anything beyond that is often scoped to an hourly rate or a flat fee.
In contrast, the average full time general counsel typically runs $150-300k base annually depending on market and fields, plus performance incentives. For companies that have bigger risk profiles, that can expand massively. The average total compensation of a Fortune 500 general counsel is over $3m per year. Businesses also pay payroll taxes on that.
Is this unlicensed practice of law?
No. Nothing in the DocPost platform that could reasonably be construed as legal advice is presented to a non-lawyer except as directed by a licensed attorney-of-record.
What happens if/when I deactivate my DocPost account?
If you are an organization owner, you will be asked whether you would like to delegate your that ownership. If you do, that person becomes the organization owner, and nothing else changes. If you do not, or there is no one else to delegate ownership to, then multiple things happen:
- new signature requests, PlayMaker, and Second Chair become inaccessible.
- your document Vault will continue to be available to you for download for up to 90 days after deactivation, except as required by law or court order.
- QR code verification will also be suspended with the standard "QR code verification unavailable" screen. The messaging does not state or imply a document is invalid, simply that no signature log is published for that identifier.