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10 Reasons to Transition to a Unified Microsoft Office Add-in Model

Thu 24 Apr 2025

Lawyers and legal professionals rely heavily on Microsoft 365 (M365), particularly Word and Outlook, for drafting documents, reviewing contracts, and managing correspondence. In fact, according to the ILTA Tech Survey 2024, the majority of law firms utilize M365 as their primary productivity suite.

To enhance legal workflows, firms and legal departments deploy Microsoft Office add-ins that integrate seamlessly with Word and Outlook. However, many firms still rely on older VSTO/COM Add-ins, despite Microsoft's shift toward modern, cloud-based Office Add-ins.

What Are VSTO/COM and Office Add-ins?

VSTO (Visual Studio Tools for Office) and COM (Component Object Model) Add-ins are traditional add-ins developed using Visual Studio and installed directly on a user’s device. While they have been widely used, they present challenges in terms of performance, deployment, and maintenance.

Office Add-ins, on the other hand, are built using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and run across platforms—including Windows, Mac, iPad, and web-based Office applications. They are centrally managed, reducing IT overhead and ensuring better integration with cloud-based legal workflows.

Below are 10 reasons why transitioning to a unified Microsoft Office Add-in model is essential for law firms and legal departments.

 

Litera One: Your Legal Experience Simplified. All Your Workflows in M365 and Powered by AI

Litera One provides a unified Office Add-in interface to automate the full spectrum of legal work with embedded experience insights, seamlessly integrated into the lawyer workflow in M365.

Powered by Litera AI+, Litera One connects your experience data and the Litera ecosystem to bring unparalleled efficiency and insights across any device in Word and Outlook. With Litera One, firms and legal departments streamline drafting, improve review accuracy, optimize knowledge retrieval and drive performance.

Ready to experience the benefits of a unified add-in model? Schedule a demo with one of our experts today.


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