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Legal templates are everywhere, but most are hard to use. We've created a new standard for how we structure and store legal templates.
Markdown
We store all our contracts in markdown. GitLaw automatically converts uploaded contracts from any format into our markdown standard, and you can export back to traditional formats if you want to. This might sound like a technical detail, but it's transformative for how legal documents can be collaborated on and managed.
This standardization allows GitLaw to be opinionated about version control in ways that aren't possible with mixed file formats. We strip out the unneccessary formatting nuances so that we can show you precisely which clause was modified, what terms were added or removed, and how the important parts of the document (the legal text) evolved through negotiation.
Contract Markup
Beyond markdown, we've created a markup system that makes contracts programmable. When GitLaw files have this markdown applied - it adds:
Smart Input Fields: Every fillable field is clearly marked in a standard way. This allows us to generate simple forms to fill out fields within Gitlaw - as well as make these fields easy to read for other software (e.g. AI Agents).
Clause Options: Legal documents often include optional clauses or variations. Most lawyers use templates with extensive options and drafting advice written into contracts. Our goal was to simplify templates so that anyone can make sense of them. Our GitLaw Clause format allows us to generate simple toggles and variant selections.
Alternative Structures: When clauses are mutually exclusive, we mark them as alternatives so users can choose Option A or Option B, never both accidentally. Our format is also able to create dependencies across templates using these alternative structures.
Any contract can be easy
Many template companies already provide user-friendly interfaces for contract customization - but usually only for documents that their teams have manually pre-prepared. GitLaw makes this structured format available on any contract that anyone chooses to use GitLaw with.
Infrastructure for AI-Powered Legal Work
We’re excited to be building a foundation for our long-term vision of AI agents handling legal work. When contracts are formatted in a more structured way, software can reason and modify them more easily and ultimately automate complex legal workflows.
Structured contracts enable AI agents to understand not just what a document says, but how it's organized, what can be customized, and how changes might affect other clauses. We believe this infrastructure is a valuable building block to make "vibe lawyering" viable for real business use.
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We'd welcome collaborations with industry partners who want to work with us on evolving this standard. We're excited to build this future together.
