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Getting Started with Custom Templates

Learn how to create your first template and streamline document generation.

Updated over 5 months ago

Custom templates give you complete control over how your documents are structured, styled, and presented. Whether you’re tailoring a demand letter or building a detailed medical chronology, creating a custom template ensures every output reflects your tone, format, and legal standards.

In this guide, we’ll walk you step by step through creating your first template using the Template Builder.


📍 Where to Find the Template Builder

  1. Open the Navigation Bar.

  2. Click on the Main Navigation sub menu.

  3. Select Templates.

This will open your Templates area, the place where all your customized templates live.

If you have not yet built a template, you’ll see an empty list. From here, you can either:

  • Click Create Your First Template (center of the screen), or

  • Click Create Template in the top right corner.

Once you create a new template, it will open in the Template Builder, your workspace for designing, organizing, and previewing your custom documents.

This will open the Template Builder, your workspace for designing, organizing, and previewing your custom document templates.

💡Tip: Collapse your navigation bar by clicking the box to the right of the ProPlaintiff logo to make your workspace less cramped.


Understanding the Template Builder Layout

The Template Builder (shown above) is organized into three main sections from left to right:

1. Template Settings and Sections Panel (Left Pane)

This vertical sidebar lets you:

  • Set general properties like template name and category

  • Navigate between different customization areas of the template:

    • Letterhead – Configure headers, footers, and branding elements

    • Document Sections – Define and customize the main content blocks

    • Signature – Add closing signature lines and contact information

    • Styling – Control fonts, line spacing, margins, and overall formatting

Clicking any of these buttons updates the middle pane with settings for that section.

2. Content Pane (Middle Section)

This is the workspace where you edit the selected template section. It’s context aware, meaning the options displayed depend on which part of the template you’re working on. You can enter text, add variables or placeholders, adjust prompts, and format content directly.

3. Live Document Preview (Right Pane)

The preview updates in real time as you work, showing how your changes will appear in the final document. Placeholder data is used to simulate a completed version so you can fine tune layout and content structure as you go.


Section Components

Templates are built from blocks and sections.

Blocks

Overview

Blocks are static elements that are not influenced by AI generation, but they can contain variables for dynamic values. For example, placing [Client Name] in your template will automatically pull the client’s name from the active case when generating the document.

Structure

A block contains:

  • Reorder Handle – The six dots in the top left to drag and reorder

  • Trash Button – Removes the block entirely

  • Type – Toggle between text or image

  • Alignment – Choose left, center, or right alignment

  • Upload Image (for image type) – Includes upload button, preview, and size/padding controls

  • Lines (for text type) – Add or remove lines, toggle bold text, and control spacing

Sections

Overview
Sections make up the body of the document. Each section has a title and a prompt that guides the AI in generating content. Variables can also be included to insert dynamic case information. Sections can have nested subsections for more granular content control.

Structure

A section contains:

  • Title – The label for that content area

  • AI Prompt – The instruction set given to the AI to create the section’s content

  • Subsections (Optional) – Smaller divisions within a section, each with its own prompt

For example, a Medical Summary section might contain subsections for Medical Chronology and Diagnostic Codes, each with specific AI instructions.

Summary
By mastering the Template Builder, you can create tailored, reusable templates that enforce consistency, reflect your brand, and guide AI output exactly how you want. With blocks, sections, and live preview working together, you’re in complete control of the structure, style, and quality of every generated document.

👉 Continue to Customizing your Letterhead.


Need Help?

👉 Check out our YouTube video - ProPlaintiff.ai V3 Tutorial Walkthrough

If you need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team via chat or email us at cx@proplaintiff.ai. We're here to help!

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