CounselLink Answer Center for Clients

Contract Templates

  • Updated

This article covers the following:

Accessing the Templates and Bundles Administration Pages

As a CLM administrator, you can configure pre-made contract templates that users can select during creation. Bundles contain multiple templates.

You must have the CLM Admin role to create and edit contract templates and bundles.

For CounselLink+ Users:

  1. Click the Corporate Profile option from the drop down under your name in the header.

  2. Click Templates or Bundles under the CLM Administration section of the QuickLinks panel. 

For non-CounselLink+ Users:

Click Templates on the side toolbar. To access Bundles, click the Bundles tab.

Creating Templates in CLM

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  1. Click +NEW TEMPLATE on the Templates Administration page. The Add Templates window displays.

  2. Click Upload Templates and select your file. All Microsoft file types are supported.

  3. Click Open. The file is added to your template list.

    Added templates are not available until you publish them.

  4. Click the template name.

  5. Format the document as needed. See the section below for more on formatting options.
  6. Click Publish.

The template is now available for selection during contract creation.

Contract Template Formatting Options

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Best Practices

  • Use the latest Microsoft Word format: .DOCX
  • If formatting issues occur, paste content into a plain text editor (e.g., Notepad) to remove background formatting, then paste into a new Word document
  • Save using Rich Text format
  • Reformat tables as needed

About Template Fields

On the top navigation bar, there are five types of fields you can add to your templates. Place the cursor where you would like the field to appear on the template, and select one of the following:

Field Type Description
Field Free-form field completed during contract generation.
Auto-Generated Sequence Automatically generated number (useful for contract IDs or invoice numbers).
Smart Field Predefined custom field populated from Contract Information or Salesforce data.
Counterparty Smart Field Auto-populated counterparty-specific custom field.
Image Field Used to insert images such as logos.

Once you select an option, you will see a window prompt:

  • Enter a field name.

  • Mark it as Required if necessary (required fields must be completed before contract generation).

  • Click OK.

Template Options (Vertical Ellipses Menu)

From the template options menu, you can:

  • Select Template Info to configure matching criteria (e.g., contract type, department).

  • Download a copy of the template.

  • Delete the template.

Deleting a template permanently removes it. No information is retained.

Template Bundles in CLM

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Template Bundles group multiple templates for use together.

Benefits of Bundling:

  • Consistency: Ensures related documents follow the same format.

  • Efficiency: Eliminates the need to search for individual templates.

  • Compliance: Helps maintain legal or regulatory standards across documents.

When creating a contract, bundles appear in the selection list and are identified by a bundle icon and description indicating the number of documents included. All documents in the bundle will be uploaded as part of the new, in-progress contract.

Creating a Template Bundle

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  1. Navigate to The Bundles administration page.
  2. Click + NEW BUNDLE. The Create Bundle window displays.
  3. Enter a name for the Bundle.
  4. Select templates to include from the dropdown.
  5. Click NEXT.
  6. Fill in all required fields and add an optional text description.
  7. Select if the bundle will be available upon contract requests.
  8. Select if you'd like the bundle to be published immediately upon creation.
  9. Click CREATE.

If you need to delete a bundle, click the ellipses at the end of the bundle row, then select Delete.

From the ellipses, you can also select Bundle Info. The information window for the bundle displays.

Viewing and Editing Contract Bundles

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  1. Click the Bundle name from the Templates administration page.

  2. Two tabs are available:

    • Templates – Modify included templates.

    • Information – Edit metadata and descriptions.

  3. Click Save after making changes.

Using Practical Guidance to Create Contract Templates

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If your organization has CounselLink+, you can access the LexisNexis® Practical Guidance feature. This feature allows you to search a database of pre-made templates. You can format and customize these templates to fit your company's needs.

Users must be provisioned in the LexisNexis® Account Center, and your organization must have a subscription to the Practical Guidance.

  1. Navigate to the Corporate Profile page.

  2. Select Templates under the QuickLinks panel.

  3. Click the Practical Guidance tab. The Practical Guidance search page displays.

  4. Enter in a search term to find related templates. Practical Guidance features nine primary areas of law to search within:
    • Real Estate
    • Labor & Employment
    • Intellectual Property & Technology
    • Insurance
    • Finance
    • Financial Services Regulation
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Commercial Transactions
    • Capital Markets & Corporate Governance

  5. Click the search icon. The results display.

  6. Click a template name to display its contents.
  7. Once you've examined the template, you have three options:
    • Close: Return to search results.
    • Download: Save locally, edit, and upload later.
    • Import: Add directly to Templates (must still be published before use).