Overview
Templates form the basis of all agreements and request workflows in Finalize. Templates empower administrators to establish specific rules and actions that guide end users in generating agreements with language and approvals that adhere to company policies and ensure compliance.
For users, templates create a clear and structured pathway, helping select the appropriate templates for each agreement created.
Getting Started
Create an Agreement
Choose NEW AGREEMENT on the main Agreements page to draft a new agreement.
When NEW AGREEMENT is chosen, the Template selection page will open. This page will display the templates available to each user based on their roles and permissions.
- Search by template name
- Preview the template before choosing
- Select: Start using this template to create your agreement
- Filters: Further refine your template search
- Progress Bar: Agreement creation progress. Orange = incomplete, green = complete, gray = not yet completed
Note:
- Templates are organized by most used in general within Finalize, not by the user.
- Templates that include Salesforce pricing tables will not be visible when creating new agreements within the web app.
- The agreement creation process will differ depending on the template type selected.
Template Types
There are four template types within Finalize.
- Draft templates (Our Paper): Draft agreements on your party’s paper.
- Intake workflows (3rd Party Paper): Submit agreements by a third party for legal review.
- Request forms (Our Paper): Request a Legal Draft of an agreement on your behalf.
- Signature-only templates: Finalized agreements that can be immediately sent out for signature (e.g., pricing forms).
Add Key Information and Details into the Agreement
1. Agreement Detail Fields
After selecting a template, fill out the agreement detail fields.
The context fields offer the legal team valuable insights into the key parameters of the agreement. (e.g., purpose, scope, important dates, counterparty information).
The agreement name field answer will be used to generate the name of the Finalize Agreement and the downloadable agreement file.
Please follow your organization’s standard naming convention.
Note:
- The maximum character limit for agreement names is 80 characters.
- Password-protected files are unsupported.
- The final version name is ingested as the original file name in LinkSquares Analyze – not the Finalize agreement name.
- Agreement detail fields marked by an asterisk* indicate the required fields.
Click SAVE AND CONTINUE once complete.
2. Tokens
After completing the agreement detail fields, begin drafting the agreement by answering the token questions.
Tokens are placeholders within agreements that, when answered, are incorporated directly into the agreement creation.
Press the Enter key or use the arrows to navigate between tokens.
SAVE AND CONTINUE once complete.
Note:
Tokens may be absent depending on the template's configuration. Tokens are optional.
3. Review
Review the information once all the template pages have been completed.
- The green checkmarks and numbers, displayed in the upper right corner of the page, indicate which pages have been completed and which ones remain.
- Each template will vary depending on the information required.
- To view prior pages and still keep your work in progress:
Use the arrow button located on the upper left of the page
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Once the agreement is complete, click SAVE AND FINISH or SAVE AND EMAIL.
Save and Finish
- Save and Finish completes the agreement creation flow.
- The individual agreement view will open.
Save and Email
- Save and Email completes the agreement creation and opens a new email draft within the individual agreement view.
- The newly created agreement will be added as an attachment when the email is sent.
- Template status will vary and be dependent on the template configuration. The agreement will either start in the Internal Review or Counterparty Review status.
- To learn more about agreement statuses, reference our article on Agreement Phases and Statuses.
Note:
- Choosing EXIT cancels any information entered in the agreement creation. There will not be a draft saved. Upon exiting, the main agreements page will open.
- The ability to email an agreement from Finalize may be disabled based on the template configuration. Users can select between save and finish or save and download.
Save and Download
- Save and download completes the agreement creation and downloads the agreement locally.
- The individual agreement view will open.
Different template types and workflows
Intake Workflows
The main difference between Draft templates and Intake workflows
- Uploading an existing document instead of creating a new document from Finalize.
- Intake workflows are typically agreements sent to you by a third party.
File Upload
After selecting an Intake workflow, you will be asked to upload the third-party document.
Click SAVE AND CONTINUE once complete.
Once completed, the same process for a Draft template will be followed.
Request forms
Request template creation:
The agreement will start and remain in the Request Pending status until an agreement has been created from the form.
Once submitted, the Request form is reviewed by the designated teams to ensure the agreement can move forward.
Once approved, the Request form assignee drafts or submits the agreement on your behalf.
Note:
Only Administrators and Request form assignees can draft new agreements from Request forms.
Once completed, the same process for a Draft template will be followed.
To learn more about this process, reference our article on Creating Agreements From Request Forms.
Signature-Only Templates
File Upload
After selecting a Signature-only template:
Upload the completed agreement requiring an eSignature (e.g., pricing forms)
Note:
- This template can be used to execute agreements via LinkSquares Sign, DocuSign or AdobeSign*.
*dependant on the company's preferred E-Signature platform
Click SAVE AND CONTINUE once complete.
Once completed, the same process for a Draft template will be followed.
Once completed, SAVE AND FINISH. The individual agreement view will open.
For more information on creating agreements with Dynamic Language, please refer to our article Drafting Agreements With Dynamic Language.
For more information on creating agreements with Dynamic Language, please refer to our article
Drafting Agreements With Dynamic Questions.