Spring '22 Release
The Spring '22 Release is here! Read all about updates, features, and more!
  • release
  • legal tech
NextChapter Team
Published on May 17, 2022

Note from the Team 

We are especially excited to share this season's Spring Release, as we have made even more developments on our software to not only stay updated with bankruptcy law but to law across the board! Our goal is to make sure you can work as efficiently as possible at your firm! Read about SALI, Doc Creator updates, and more! And don't forget to register for our Spring '22 Release Webinar!

SALI LMSS Integration

What is SALI LMSS?
SALI, Standards Advancement for the Legal Industry, is an alliance that established the legal matter specification standards (LMSS). These standard naming conventions and terminology for the legal industry make your data friendlier with other legal tech tools. The preset LMSS fields are available in NextChapter to enhance your practice. When you create custom fields in NextChapter, you can select LMSS fields based on your area of practice, saving you time creating fields from scratch. Once created, these fields can be used in our NextChapter Doc, client texting, and client portal tools.

 

Our Mobile App is back up! With our mobile app, you can manage client information, access documents, and view your firm schedule at any time anywhere! 

NextChapter Docs 

At NextChapter, we have expanded our tools for efficiency in any area of law - not just bankruptcy. NextChapter Docs is designed to reduce manual data entry and improve efficiency at your firm. This tool allows you to create, upload, and customize legal templates with the use of merge tags and word processing tools. We want this tool to be as user-friendly as possible, and here are a few feature updates and fixes doing just that!

  • Changes: Before you would have to leave the template editor to add and edit custom fields, you can now do these edits right in the template editor, saving you time and the hassle!

  • New Tools: We have added upper case, lower case, and proper case tools.

  • Bug Fixes: There can be small issues on occasion when it comes to software, but we make sure that we stay on top of fixing bugs as soon as they come up. Here are a few fixes: 

    • Automatic numbering fixed

    • Line spacing

    • Page break issues fixed, highlight tools fixed.

Additions: Text highlights have now been added! When using NextChapter Docs, If your document is missing information through a merge tag, it will automatically be highlighted in yellow, so you never save a document unfinished. Another addition is custom fields! These are comprehensive pronouns for Contacts and any custom field that’s a role.

Paralegal as a Service 

Our Virtual Paralegals are here to help you with your casework, whether your practice Bankruptcy Law or practicing other areas and we are excited to share some new additions to our Virtual Paralegal team!

  • We now have additional Virtual Paralegals in the network with experience in Personal Injury, Family Law, Civil Litigation, and Immigration.

  • We also have additional Spanish-speaking Virtual Paralegals for bankruptcy casework for better communication with your clients!

NextChapter always stays on top of law industry updates, assuring your forms and documents are all up to date when using our software.

Updates

Filing Updates

NextChapter now provides users with the Option to Omit Creditor.txt through the app when e-filing.

Chapter 13 Plan Updates

We've added even more bankruptcy local forms and plans to our software. View a full list of all autocompleting local forms and plans in NextChapter here.

  • Chapter 13 Plan Updates

    • South Carolina Revised Plan

  • Chapter 13 Plans Added

    • Oklahoma Northern Plan

    • Oklahoma Eastern Plan

Upcoming Events 

Multiple members of the NextChapter team will be representing our software this week at NACBA ‘22!

We would love to showcase these features and products in person so make sure to stop by booth 38! We’ll have fresh pour-over coffee and treats on hand, and will host a daily giveaway that includes an Ember Mug and a JBL Portable Speaker.

And don’t forget to join our session for CLE credit and some tips on using NextChapter Docs on Thursday at 4 pm MDT. Come learn more about how our new Document Automation tool is partnering with SALI LMSS as we work to standardize legal terminology and forms automation. See you there!

Register for the Release Webinar 

Dive even deeper into features, updates, and events at our free Spring '22 Release Webinar on Tuesday, June 1st, at 2 PM ET. 

What's Coming Next 

We will be starting the webinar series "Docs Academy" in June! Throughout the series, you will learn all the different tools NextChapter Docs has to offer! Register for the first webinar Docs Academy - Document Importing and Organization on Tuesday, June 14th, at 2 PM ET.

What's Coming Next 

Bankruptcy Filing Trends

Attorneys and sectors of the bankruptcy and restructuring industries have been keeping a close watch on bankruptcy filing trends since the COVID-19 pandemic greatly altered the expected patterns. Most of the data that's being analyzed has been focused on filing figures nationwide, however, data being reported from Law Street Media as provided by Docket Alarm shows interesting geographical patterns that are worth noting as the nationwide trends appear to not be a "one size fits all" situation for all districts. The full report including a heatmap of bankruptcies per District Court per capita from 2021 can be found here. And you can subscribe for more news and legal analysis from Law Street Media here.