The Comedy (and Power) of Outsourced Document Formatting

“Brevity is the soul of wit,” said Polonius in Hamlet, before going on to monologue for another 47 lines. Classic lawyer move, really.

But imagine if William Shakespeare, quill in hand, dipped in 16th-century caffeine (aka mead), was drafting not plays but pleadings. Picture this: “To sue or not to sue—that is the question.” Enter: his overworked, ink-stained legal assistant, tasked with formatting a 95-page affidavit on parchment, with footnotes citing ye olde case law.

Tragic? Comic? A little of both.

Let’s step into this alternate universe, explore what happens when document formatting goes awry, and then teleport back to our times to look at how outsourced document formatting could be the hero of this tale.

Act I: A Mess of Margins – Shakespeare’s Legal Woes

Shakespeare, ever the perfectionist, has just wrapped up dictating a draft of The Merchant of Venice: The Litigation Edition. He’s handed his scroll (er, document) to his legal assistant. “It must look pristine,” he commands. “The judge is most particular with his spacing.”

Poor Will’s assistant now faces the Elizabethan equivalent of Microsoft Word: some mix of candlelight, calligraphy, and a prayer to Saint Gutenberg.

Now consider today’s version:

• Word files with inconsistent formatting.
• Page numbers that mysteriously vanish.
• Headers that change font mid-sentence.
• Lawyers spending billable hours fixing alignment instead of arguing legal brilliance.

It’s not fiction. According to a 2020 report, lawyers can spend up to 10 hours a week on document formatting tasks—that’s over 500 hours a year per lawyer wasted on non-substantive work (Clio 2020 Legal Trends Report).

That’s 500 hours not spent lawyering. Will would be appalled. “O! That this too solid text would melt, thaw, and resolve into clean formatting,” he’d lament.

Act II: Enter the Outsourced Legal Assistant – Modern-Day Hero

If Shakespeare had outsourced his legal assistant—preferably one trained in modern formatting wizardry—imagine the time he’d have saved. Not just to write plays, but perhaps to actually practice law (or at least properly paginate his scrolls).

Here’s what today’s outsourced document formatting assistants can do:

• Ensure consistency of font, spacing, margins, and formatting styles.
• Style tables of contents, authorities, and citations per jurisdictional requirements.
• Fix cross-references so they don’t send readers on a “wild goose chase through Act IV.”
• Handle multiple formats—Word, PDF, templates, even scanned OCR docs.
• Speed up collaboration across lawyers working in different offices or even countries.

According to the American Bar Association, effective outsourcing allows law firms to “gain flexibility, reduce costs, and increase access to highly specialized expertise.”

Let’s break it down.

Act III: The Power of Formatting—Because Presentation Is Persuasion

You may argue: “A good legal argument should stand on its own!” A noble notion—but like showing up to court in a toga, the way a document looks matters.

First impressions count. An aligned, professional document signals competence, attention to detail, and gives your judge/client/opponent fewer reasons to roll their eyes. It also reduces cognitive load—making it easier to read, follow, and ultimately agree with your case.

Even Shakespeare knew this. Why do you think his First Folio was so meticulously formatted?

A study in the Journal of Legal Writing emphasises that visually accessible documents increase comprehension and retention. In other words: clean formatting wins cases (or at least helps them).

Now imagine your 95-page contract looks like a ransom note. “If this be madness,” says the judge, “yet there is method in it.” Except there isn’t. It’s just bad formatting.

Interlude: A Brief Dramatic Reenactment

LAWYER: Your Honour, I present Exhibit A: the 87-page shareholders agreement.

JUDGE: (squinting) Is that Comic Sans?

LAWYER: I—we had a… template incident.

JUDGE: Burn it. With fire.

(GAVEL)

Act IV: The Outsourcing Solution—More Than Just Formatting

Outsourcing document formatting isn’t just about pretty documents. It’s about freeing up legal professionals to focus on high-value work.

The Real Perks:

1. Time Savings:
   What takes a lawyer 3 hours might take a trained formatting assistant 30 minutes. Multiply that across a year, and you’re reclaiming months.
2. Cost Efficiency:
   Paying a high-salary lawyer for document formatting is like hiring Gordon Ramsay to microwave popcorn. Outsourcing shifts that cost to a more suitable (and often offshore) resource.
3. Accuracy and Quality:
   Formatting specialists catch inconsistencies, apply styles correctly, and ensure documents are court- or client-ready every time.
4. Scalability:
   Got 12 affidavits due tomorrow? Your in-house team may panic. An outsourced team can scale up fast.
5. Confidentiality and Compliance:
   Reputable LPO providers (like Strategic Business Alliance) follow strict data protection standards, ensuring client information stays secure while outsourcing workflows.

And let’s not forget: outsourcing document formatting has now become standard practice for law firms from Sydney to San Francisco, with even boutique firms embracing the trend.

Act V: How Would Shakespeare Outsource Today?

If Will lived today, he’d probably have:

• A paralegal in Melbourne,
• A formatting assistant in Mumbai,
• A document automation expert in Manila,
• And a Slack channel named #the-bard-files.

He’d upload his handwritten note: “The opposing party shall henceforth return yon ox.”

And his away-team assistant would return:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND
RE: Ox Dispute Between Montagues and Capulets
Affidavit of William Shakespeare

“The opposing party (hereinafter ‘Capulets’) is hereby requested, compelled, or otherwise strongly encouraged to return the ox in question…”

Attachments neatly formatted. Annexures labelled. Footnotes pristine. The ox? On its way.

Final Curtain Call: Why Your Firm Should Embrace the Bard’s Wisdom

In all seriousness, document formatting is a silent productivity killer in many firms. Yet it’s often overlooked or shrugged off as “just admin work.” The truth? It’s essential. It’s time-consuming. And it’s not something your senior associate should be wrangling at midnight before a client deadline.

The takeaway?

Outsourced document formatting = freedom.
Freedom for your lawyers. Freedom for your time. Freedom from the tyranny of rogue bullet points and unpredictable indentation.

If it was good enough for an imaginary Shakespearean legal team, it’s good enough for your firm.

Epilogue: Ready to Write Your Own Formatting Tragedy?

Hopefully not.

Instead, partner with professionals who know how to tame wild documents and turn formatting disasters into digital sonnets.

As Will might say:

“The document’s the thing, wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the court.”

Now over to you…

Does your firm have a formatting horror story worthy of Shakespearean tragedy? Or are you ready to turn your document woes into wins?

Either way, we’re here, quill in one hand, keyboard in the other.