Document Templates

FluentCase allows you to create and manage reusable document templates for your firm.

Important: All Word templates must be uploaded through the Firm Settings section of FluentCase. Only administrators can upload and manage templates for your firm.

Creating Templates

Upload Template Document

1. Go to Firm Settings → Word Templates
2. Click Upload
3. Drop your template files or select them

Templates must be Word documents (.docx or .docm). Older .doc files are rejected with “Invalid file type. Templates must be Word Documents (docx).”

Create a Template from an Existing One

1. Open an existing template in Word (see Editing Templates)
2. Make your changes
3. In the FluentCase Template Editor ribbon tab, click Save As New Template

The original template is not changed. To start from a blank document, create it in Word and upload it.

Using Templates

Generate Document from Template

1. Open a matter
2. Click Forms and Word Templates
3. Select a template
4. Click Merge to create a document with matter data in Word
5. On Select Data to Merge, confirm the parties and other details to use, enter a Document Name, and click Merge
6. Document opens in Word with matter information populated
7. Click Save to Fluent

Merge vs. Start: Word templates use Merge. PDF forms use Start, which prepares a new PDF with matter data.

Choosing Parties During a Merge

For each party role in the template, Select Data to Merge preselects a party when one is available. If the role is empty (for example, no claims adjuster is assigned) or the wrong party is selected, choose the correct party from that role’s dropdown. The party’s address, phone, and fax come from the party you select.

Party Names and Captions

The matter’s Caption field is free text entered by hand, so it may not match the party records. To pull names from the parties themselves, insert party fields from the Parties group of the FluentCase Template Editor ribbon (for example, the applicant’s and employer’s names) instead of typing names or relying on Caption.

Template Management

Editing Templates

Templates can be edited from within a matter or from Firm Settings. Follow the instructions below for selecting, editing, and saving template changes:

Editing a template from Firm Settings:

1. Go to Firm Settings
2. Select Word Templates
3. Select a template
4. Click the Edit pen icon
5. Template opens in Word
6. In the FluentCase Template Editor ribbon tab, click Save Template to replace the template in Fluent

Editing a template from within a matter:

1. Open a matter
2. Select Forms and Word Templates
3. Select a template
4. Click the Edit pen icon
5. Template opens in Word
6. In the FluentCase Template Editor ribbon tab, click Save Template to replace the template in Fluent

Changes are not used in merges until you click Save Template. To keep the original, click Save As New Template instead.

Deleting Templates

1. Go to Firm Settings → Word Templates
2. Select a template
3. Click Delete
4. Confirm the deletion

Letterheads

Instead of hardcoding a letterhead into each template, insert the FIRM:letterhead merge field where the letterhead should appear. When the template is merged, FluentCase inserts the letterhead uploaded to the matter’s Branch Office, including its headers and footers.

• The matter’s Office field (in the matter’s details) determines which Branch Office letterhead is used. If the field is empty, no letterhead is inserted.
• To change the letterhead, such as updating the attorney list, go to Firm Settings → Branch Offices → View Details, download the current letterhead, edit it in Word, then click Replace and upload the new file. Every template that uses the field picks up the change on its next merge.
• Each Branch Office has its own letterhead. Update each office separately.

See Uploading Office Templates.

Best Practices

Creating Templates

• Test thoroughly - Generate test documents
• Standard formatting - Consistent fonts and styles
• Clear naming - Descriptive template names

Using Templates

• Review before sending - Always review generated documents
• Customize as needed - Edit generated documents
• Update templates - Keep templates current
• Version control - Track template versions

Maintenance

• Regular review - Review templates quarterly
• Update for law changes - Keep legally current
• Remove obsolete - Delete unused templates
• Gather feedback - Ask team for improvements

Troubleshooting

Formatting Issues

Causes:

• Complex Word formatting
• Incompatible fonts
• Tables or images

Solutions:

1. Simplify formatting
2. Use standard fonts
3. Test with simple template first

Merge Fields Not Populating

1. Confirm the template changes were saved with Save Template
2. In the FluentCase Template Editor ribbon tab, click Toggle Merge Fields to show field codes
3. Working fields appear as { MERGEFIELD ... }. Text that only looks like a field, for example after copying and pasting, does not merge. Delete it and insert the field again from the ribbon.
4. Click Save Template

If a field is empty because a party role has no party assigned, choose a party on Select Data to Merge. See Choosing Parties During a Merge.

Field Codes Showing Instead of Text

If you see codes such as { MERGEFIELD ... } or { HYPERLINK ... } instead of text, field codes are turned on. Click Toggle Merge Fields again, or press Alt+F9 in Word for Windows.

Template Rejected on Upload

Only .docx and .docm files can be uploaded. If Word saved the file in an older format, open it in Word, use File → Save As to save it as a Word Document (.docx), and upload the new file. Some older formatting may be lost when converting.