Welcome to Gavel Workflows
Welcome! You've joined the pack of attorneys elevating their legal practices through document automation.
This Learning Center is specifically for Gavel Workflows (the Gavel Exec Learning Center can be found here). This documentation will cover everything from basic workflow-building to advanced syntax in your output documents. There are light-lift options (our built-in AI can automatically generate workflows for you), or you can dive into the nuances for complete control (building a questionnaire and output documents from scratch).
If you haven’t already, start a free trial now!
Overview: What is Gavel Workflows?
Gavel Workflows is a document automation platform that enables legal professionals to create automated legal forms and processes. Each workflow includes:
- A questionnaire (where the user provides information).
- Document templates (Word or fillable PDF) that adjust their output based on how the questions are answered.
With Gavel’s user-friendly interface, built-in PDF tagger, and no-code Word Add-in, you can create powerful, logic-based workflows from Day 1.
If you have any questions throughout your learning, feel free to reach out to us at help@gavel.io or chat with Gavel BFF, our AI chat assistant in the bottom right corner of your browser window.
Get Started - Choose your path
As you build your first workflow, we recommend choosing from one of the following paths. Get familiar with the process that is most relevant to you!
- Start with Fillable PDF Upload - Do you have a Fillable PDF that you want to automate using AI? Have Gavel Blueprint auto-generate a questionnaire and auto-tag your PDF!**
- **Start w/ Word Doc Upload - Do you have a Word document that you want to automate using AI. Have Gavel Blueprint auto-generate a questionnaire and auto-tag your Word doc!**
- **Start w/ Clio Integration - Are you here because you want to connect your Gavel and Clio Manage accounts? Start here.**
- **Build from scratch - Do you know what questions you want to ask? Can you visualize your output document and want to build it yourself? Start here.**
- No-Setup Automated Forms
Learning Center Layout/Sections
This section outlines how the Learning Center is organized, so you can quickly find the information you need. It maps out the key topics—like workflow basics, document templates, and advanced logic—and shows where to dive deeper based on your experience level.
- If you are new to Gavel, we recommend choosing one of the “Get Started” paths above, and then following along to each “Next” page in a linear fashion. This will help you understand the building blocks of Gavel as you move on to more advanced features.
- If you are a familiar user of Gavel or have worked with automation platforms before, dive deeper into any one of the sections below (also shown in the left-side navigation menu), or use the search bar at the top of the page to find the Learning Center page you are seeking.
Advanced Sections
4 recommended approaches to building with Gavel.
Detailed instructions for building questionnaires.
How to tag your output documents and link them to variables.
Glossary & Best Practices
This section explains the core concepts and terminology in Gavel, along with practical tips for building reliable workflows. Use it as a foundation for understanding how Gavel works and how to avoid common mistakes.
Glossary of Terms:
- Workflow - A complete automation package in Gavel. A workflow can contain a questionnaire, logic, and one or more document templates that generate outputs based on user answers.
- Questionnaire - The set of questions built inside a workflow. The answers to these questions drive the content of the output documents.
- Output Document - The finished document that Gavel generates after a taker completes a workflow. This can be a Word document, a PDF, or multiple documents depending on your setup.
- Builder View - The Gavel web interface (in your internet browser) where you create and edit workflow settings and questionnaires. Only Admin users and Builder users see this view.
- Taker View - The client-facing web version of a workflow. This is how an end user experiences the questionnaire and, if allowed, sees or downloads their documents. The taker view can also be restricted for just internal use. An attorney or paralegal may use the taker view to complete a workflow and generate documents on behalf of a client. The taker view can also be hidden altogether, with client data instead pushed into the workflow via other integrated software (e.g., SOFTWARE)
- Dashboard - The central hub in Gavel’s web interface where you can see all your workflows, access data, set up integrations, and share workflows with others.
- PDF Tagger - The tool inside Gavel’s web interface that lets you map variables from your questionnaire to fields in a fillable PDF template, ensuring answers populate into the right spots.
- Document Tagger (Word Add-in) - A Microsoft Word add-in that allows you to insert Gavel variables into Word documents. This makes your Word files dynamic, adjusting content like “mad libs” based on answers. This add-in connects directly to your Gavel Builder platform, allowing you to access variables from all of your workflows you’ve built online. Instructions to download here, and set up here.
- Variable - A placeholder that stores a piece of information entered in a questionnaire. Variables are linked to document templates so the right text appears in the right place.
- Syntax - The special language/formatting used inside Word documents, PDFs, or logic to tell Gavel how to handle variables (e.g., conditions, formatting, lists). Syntax makes documents dynamic and customizable.
- Tag - The marker you insert into a Word or PDF document that connects a variable to the spot where it should appear. Tags ensure answers flow into the correct place in the output document. Can also be a verb — to “tag” a document means to insert variables to the desired locations.
- Logic - Rules that control how a workflow behaves. Logic decides which questions, clauses, or documents are shown based on the answers provided. Often called “conditional logic,” as it is based on certain conditions that are (or are not) met within the questionnaire answers.
- Calculations - Automated formulas that perform math or comparisons inside a workflow. Calculations can total numbers, compare dates, or create new values from existing inputs.
Best practices:
- Save often: any time you make changes to a Questionnaire, Output Document, or Workflow Setting, make sure to click “Save” before navigating away from that page.
- Use clear variable names: [NEED INFO HERE]
- Test as you build: Using the back button [NEED INFO HERE]
Frequently Asked Questions:
Getting Started – Understanding the Gavel Framework
Does Gavel have AI that I can chat to and it will create all my perfect documents for me?
No. Gavel does have a feature that uses generative AI to create an automated document quickly by simply uploading a Word document or fillable PDF. But Gavel does not have a chatbot that creates documents for you.
In fact, the concept of document automation is the old-school concept of AI - where you can set rules that create a systematized, consistent output every time. Although AI chatbots are fun, document automation is reliable and foolproof.
What does it mean to make a client-facing workflow?
With Gavel, any workflow or questionnaire that you create can be shared with a client simply by sharing a special link to that workflow. More info here.
My clients aren’t tech savvy — do I have to have them fill out the questionnaire?
No. If it’s not right for your clients, you definitely don’t need to use this feature.
Some of our customers want to use the client-facing link functionality. But many of our customers are using Gavel internally to speed up their own drafting.
I thought Gavel was a web app. Why do I need to download a Word add-in?
Even though it may seem basic and ubiquitous, Word is an incredibly robust tool, so Gavel works in tandem with it. The questions and variables are created in the web app in Gavel, and the Word add-in allows you to pull them into your Word documents. Once you set it up the first time, it will always be there for you. More info here.
I created questions, but it’s not automating my document.
Adding a question (or "a variable") to your workflow does not automatically insert that variable into your document. For a PDF, you will need to then tag the fields to match them to the variables. For a Word document, you will need to use the Word add-in to insert the variables and conditional phrases into your document.
Gavel also has a feature that does some of this for you as a first draft. You can:
- Upload a Fillable PDF and have the first draft of a workflow made for you.
- Upload a Word document and have the first draft of a workflow made for you.
Do you have onboarding resources?
Yes!Our Getting Started Quick Quide
is helpful to get started. The Gavel Crash Course video series is also a great option.
Do you have templates or an out-of-the-box solution I can start using today?
Yes! See our Legal Templates. These can be added to your account within 24 hours and require no additional set-up.
Logging In
I’m having issues logging in.
- Have you done a hard refresh like this?
- Make sure you’re logging in at [yoursubdomain].gavel.io. Bookmark that page for the future.
- Have you cleared your browser cache like this?
- What device are you on? We recommend using Gavel on your desktop, with Chrome, for the best experience.
- Have you done a password reset? Make sure you’re using the exact same email as the one associated with your account.
What’s my "clientname" in the Word add-in?
This is your subdomain. So, if your Gavel site is at [mylawfirm.gavel.io], it would be "mylawfirm."
Account Management
I have billing questions.
Admins can make billing adjustments from the billing portal in their dashboard by going to Settings > Billing. If you have other questions, email help@gavel.io.
My colleague logged into their account and isn’t seeing anything.
Is your colleague set as a Builder or an end user? Go to Users and check whether they’re set as the correct type of user.
A common misconception about Gavel is that all Builders on your account will see the exact same Dashboard upon logging in. Gavel Builders are siloed by design.
If you would like your colleagues to be able to use workflows you have created, you need to:
See User Management for more info.
Can I change my subdomain?
If you want to keep all the data in your Data Manager, there is no way to create a new subdomain for your existing account.
However, if you are on the Pro plan, you can set up a custom domain to cover up the original subdomain URL with something else.
For example:
documents.mynewlawfirm.com instead of oldfirm.gavel.io
Troubleshooting
I’m getting an error message and I don’t know what it means.
Please send help@gavel.io the URL of the page you’re on and a PDF or screenshot of the full error message. Don’t worry — it’s fixable!
You can also paste the text of the error message into Gavel BFF for help troubleshooting.
Why am I seeing "no sessions" in Data Manager?
If you are in Data Manager and you see "No sessions" but you know that this workflow has sessions, it probably means there is an error in your workflow.
Click Run on your workflow and start filling out a test run to trigger the error.
If you need help resolving the error, you can paste the full error message into Gavel BFF for troubleshooting advice or email help@gavel.io with:
- A PDF or screenshot of the full error message
- The URL of the page where you’re seeing the error
I’m getting this "time out" error page — how do I get my documents?
This means that you’re trying to load many or a few large documents and the website timed out in the process.
You should be able to come back in a bit and refresh the page to see the document.
Feel free to reach out to help@gavel.io if this is happening a lot so we can make an adjustment for you.
When I open my automated PDF, I am not seeing the fields or the fonts are not matching.
Try opening the document in another PDF reading tool.
Reach out to help@gavel.io if you continue to see this issue.