Continuing Our Focus on Forms, Features and Your Feedback

Despite a uniquely challenging year in 2020, TXdocs continued to deliver on both the forms and features fronts. We released around 280 new forms, which included adding new Trusts and Mechanic's Liens practice areas. We also created timely forms, such as the Motion and Order to Employ Emergency Procedures in response to COVID-19. Many enhancements to existing forms and our software were made based on your feedback, including a new Spellchecking feature and a major update to our interface with larger font, new colors and icons to make TXdocs even easier to use.

You will read below that 2021 is set to be another very productive year!  We rely on your suggestions and requests to help us know where to focus our development efforts, so please keep your ideas coming to alan@txdocs.com or (210) 253-9506.

On the Forms Front

TRCP Changes Effective January 1, 2021

This year started with TXdocs' timely release of new forms and modifications to accommodate changes made to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure issued by the Texas Supreme Court that became effective January 1st.  You can get the inside scoop -- the motivations behind the changes to discovery rules as well as future expectations -- from our very own VP of Product Development, Justice Marialyn Barnard, TX 4th Ct of Appeals, retired.  She is sharing her insights in a webinar for paralegals jointly hosted by the State Bar Paralegal Division and DAPA on February 24th, as well as TXdocs' 1.25 hour CLE accredited webinar at noon on February 25th.

Please note the TRCP changes do not apply to those few of you who have elected to use the State Bar’s Family forms. We are told the Bar intends to update the 2020 edition of the Family Law Practice Manual forms sometime in February. For those of you using the Bar's 2020 version of the family law forms, we will make their update available to you after the State Bar releases it. 

New Practice Area is Here

TXdocs is pleased to present you with our initial release of a new and highly requested practice area: Non-judicial Foreclosures. The first 11 chapters of this volume include all of the basic forms needed for a non-judicial foreclosure -- including letters, notices, affidavits, IRS forms, sale scripts, and deeds. More will follow for this volume, but in the meantime, tell us what you think!

On the Features Front

Probate Will Get an Update

It is our goal this year to update our Probate practice area to accommodate our ever growing and diversifying base of subscribers. This will include 100+ new forms and modifications, such as the highly requested Distribution Deed, Application for Ancillary Probate of Foreign Will, Order to Set Aside Order Confirming Sale of Real Property, and Statement of Fact to name a few.

e-Filing Approved and Ready for Summer

You will recall we have been working on an integrated e-Filing system which will be much easier to use than any other e-Filing system. Well, we are very happy to report that a critical milestone in the year-and-a-half development process has been reached -- the State of Texas has certified TXdocs' new e-Filing system!  Our final step is to do some heavy duty real-world testing to make sure it truly works as intended and that it is indeed the easiest system available. Assuming there are no major changes from the testing, we hope to have it in your hands by early summer -- at no extra charge!  We will keep you posted on its progress.

e-Signature is Here

As part of our goal to continually find ways to save you time (and now create documents that are ready to e-File), we have made e-Signatures available for all documents that include the pleading signature block. There are 2 types of signatures:

• Text based - /s/ (attorney name)
• Image based - Scan or make a photo of attorney's written signature

e-Signatures can be configured per attorney in the staff member list with 3 options:

• Off - No e-Signature will be added to the document
• On - e-Signature will be applied to documents that contain the pleading signature
• Ask - During document generation, TXdocs will ask if it should include the e-Signature