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A guide to demonstrate how to create a contacts database for use within FastDraft.
The main benefit of using FastDraft is to save you time when drafting your document. One of the best ways to save time is to create a contacts database, so that you do not have to keep entering the same client details, such as name and address, over and over again. This know-how note shows you how to do this.
First of all, create a document or project in the normal way (such as by clicking on the GO button (www.practicallaw.com/8-503-1064)). It doesn’t matter what project you create, as this will just be a holding project for your contacts. Go to the project homepage, and then click on “contacts”.
This opens up a question session which allows you to add and manage all of your contacts. Simply click on the "New contact" button, and then fill in the required details.
This is the main contact page, and as such, it will allow you to enter full details about that contact: for a person, you will be able to add details such as his national insurance number, email address, phone number; for a company, details such as subsidiaries, directors and shareholdings can be added. If you do not require or know this information, this can be left blank. The contact details can also be imported from Companies House (www.practicallaw.com/1-107-5013).
Add all of your client details (or as many as you need). More can be added at a later date. This is now your central database for your client list.
The contact database can be accessed from any document, in any project, whether you are creating a share purchase agreement, a will, or a lease of property. When adding a contact, for example, a buyer, click on Add new buyer.
Then select ‘Use details from another project’.
A list of projects appears in a pop-up. Select the "contacts database" project which you have set up.
Your list of contacts from that project appear. You can simply select the contact, then click import. FastDraft will import all of the entered details into your new document.
If the party details which you are entering allows for multiple people (e.g. tenants or buyers) you can select more than one contact at a time.
You are able to select the contact from any project that you have previously created, so you do not need to create a central database, but many users find it more useful to organise their contacts in this way.
For more information about adding contacts to your document, see the PLC Video, Adding contacts to your document.