Template review

The Matter Coordinator prepares a template version for the organization and its parent matter. Its name, version number, revision and clause library help identify what the Supervising Attorney is being asked to review. A draft can change during preparation. Submission marks the point when the reviewer should examine a specific version rather than an evolving working copy.

The attorney decides whether the submitted version is approved or rejected. The decision date and approval date remain with the version. The team should compare the decision with the version that will be used; an approved title does not authorize a later revision with different clauses. The team uses the approved version only after checking that the decided revision still matches the intended content.

• Preparation. Keep a draft version linked to its organization and matter.
• Submission. Identify the revision and clause content being sent for legal review.
• Decision. Record whether that submitted version was approved or rejected.

Agree who prepares templates and who decides their legal acceptability. Define how the team names versions and how it records clause library material so the reviewer can compare the actual content. The Supervising Attorney needs to know whether a new version replaces an earlier approved version for future use, while historic matter evidence remains attached to the earlier decision.

Establish a practical handoff after rejection. The coordinator should prepare a corrected draft and resubmit the exact revision for another decision. Do not treat a decision on one version as a blanket approval for all versions of a template name. If a signing service will use an approved version, its connection and receipt need a separate setup decision.

A coordinator prepares a standard engagement letter for a new matter. The first draft includes a clause that needs clarification. The attorney rejects the submitted revision, and the coordinator prepares a corrected version. The coordinator presents the new revision for a separate decision. The attorney can compare the current submission with the rejected one before approving it.

The team then checks that the version selected for use is the approved revision, not the first draft. A reviewer should be able to find the decision time and the matter that led to the version. The example makes the approval boundary concrete for the coordinator, attorney and any later auditor.

• Templates awaiting review — Find submitted versions that need a decision.
• Template version board — Compare draft, submitted and decided versions.

Follow template approval and prepare implementation.