Configure Signature Placeholders and Rules in a Precedent

Overview

Signature placeholders define where OneLaw inserts a Signatory’s signature image and Signatory details when a precedent is assembled. They ensure signatures appear in the correct location and in the correct order when a Word document is generated from a precedent. The steps below describe OneLaw-specific behaviour and do not cover general Microsoft Word training.

A signature placeholder always contains two parts:

1. A bookmark - where the signature image will be inserted
2. One or more content controls - where signatory details (name, role, email, etc.) will appear

This article explains how to configure signature placeholders using OneLaw’s required naming conventions for both single and multiple Signatories.

Who can do this

• System Administrators
• Template Administrators

Before you start

Make sure you:

• Understand the difference between base templates and precedents
• Know how bookmarks and content controls work in Word
• Understand how OA tags map Word fields to OneLaw data
• Know whether your precedent requires one or multiple Signatories
• Know which Signatory detail fields your firm wants to include
• Check that each Signatory’s details (including their signature image) are saved in OneLaw

A full list of supported fields is provided in the Reference section.
 

Optional: Enable the Developer tab (one-off setup)

If the Developer tab is not visible in Word:

• Select File > Options.
• Select Customise Ribbon.
• Under Main Tabs, select Developer.
• Select OK.

You will only need to do this once.

Steps

1. Insert the signature image bookmark
   The bookmark defines where OneLaw inserts the signature image.
   
   To insert the bookmark

   • Place the cursor where the Signatory’s signature image should appear.
   • Select the Insert tab > Bookmark.
     
     Result: The Bookmark window will display.
   • In the Bookmark name field, enter the correct bookmark name (See Supported OA SIGNATURE fields).
   • Select Add.
     
   • Reopen Insert > Bookmark to confirm the Bookmark appears in the list.
   • Do not reuse bookmark names elsewhere in the document.

   If a bookmark is renamed, deleted, or mis-typed, OneLaw will not insert the signature image.

   Note: Some firms use a picture content control instead of a bookmark. This is technically supported but not covered in this article. Picture content controls display grey shading by default, which may print as a grey box. For consistent output, especially where a physical signature may be required, we recommend using a bookmark for signature placement.

2. Insert content controls for Signatory details
   Content controls display the Signatory’s metadata such as name, role, email, initials, phone, or date.
   
   Each content control must:

   • Be a plain-text content control.
   • Use the correct OA SIGNATURE tag (See Supported OA SIGNATURE fields).
   • Use a suffix for multi-Signatory documents (e.g. Signature1, Signature2 etc.).

   To insert a content control

   • Place the cursor where the Signatory detail should appear.
   • Select Developer > Plain Text content control.
     
     Result: The new content control is inserted.
   • Select the new control, then select Developer > Properties.
     
     Result: The Content Control Properties Window will display.
   • Add placeholder Title if helpful (for example, Author Name).
   • In the Tag field, enter the correct OA SIGNATURE tag (See Supported OA SIGNATURE fields).
   • Select OK.
     

   Multi-Signatory documents
   For multiple Signatories, repeat the full signature placeholder (the Bookmark and all required Content Controls) for each Signatory and add the appropriate suffix (e.g. Signature1, Signature2, etc.).
   
   You may position and format each Signatory block as you build it to match your firm’s preferred layout. 

3. Validate naming and structure
   
   Before testing, confirm:

   • Bookmark names follow the required pattern.
   • Content control tags match supported field names.
   • Suffixes are applied consistently for each Signatory.
   • Field names contain no typos or extra spaces.
   • No content controls are nested or overlapping.

   This prevents common issues such as missing signatures or raw OA tags.

4. Test Signatory behaviour
   If you are working in a base template, create a quick test precedent from it to confirm the signature behaviour.
   
   If you are working in a precedent, run it using a test Party and Matter.
   • Confirm each signature image appears as expected.
   • Confirm all Signatory detail fields populate correctly.
   • Look for missing values or raw OA SIGNATURE tags.
   • Print a test copy if a physical signature may be required.
   • For multiple Signatories, check the order, spacing, and layout.

Result

You have configured signature placeholders using OneLaw’s required bookmark naming conventions, content control tags, and suffixing rules. When the precedent is assembled, OneLaw inserts each Signatory’s signature image and details into a complete Word document.

Reference

Supported OA SIGNATURE fields

Signature components use different naming formats depending on their function.

• Bookmarks (underscore format) - used for the signature image only
• Content control tags (space format) - used for all Signatory detail fields

Supported fields (with formats)

Multi-Signatory naming:

Add suffixes such as Signature1, Signature2, etc. to both the bookmark and all related content control tags.

When adding suffixes, insert a single space between the base tag and the suffix.

Examples:

• OA_SIGNATURE_Signature1
• OA SIGNATURENAME Signature1

Recommended articles

• Create a Base Template
• Create a Precedent