Every entrepreneur needs well-drafted contracts to minimise business risk. They also need documents such as minutes, declarations, forms, applications and more. It’s true that some of these are available online for free, but that means time spent and, more importantly, no certainty they are aligned with current legislation. On the other hand, many entrepreneurs don’t know where to turn or are worried about the high cost of legal advice.

DOCAV brings a solution for start-ups and SMEs: online, at www.docav.ro, any entrepreneur can find answers to their legal questions and access documents at an affordable price. What’s more, business owners can submit questions online to a lawyer, and the initial consultation is free. In short, it’s a legal one-stop shop.

DOCAV is part of the BT Store online platform, launched this year by Banca Transilvania, offering entrepreneurs solutions that complement banking. Let’s hear their story!

How DOCAV started: an idea born as a solution to a problem

Every business idea starts when you hit a problem you can’t solve the way you’d like. That’s how it was with DOCAV, an idea from a lawyer — Alexandru Chirita — and an IT specialist — Catalin Alexandru Vlad — who set out to make entrepreneurs’ lives easier.

“As a lawyer, I’ve met many clients who signed contracts that were clearly to their disadvantage. Typically, entrepreneurs reach a lawyer when they already have a problem, and you’re then limited by the terms agreed in the contract. I’ve seen cases where they used contracts that were legally incorrect, some even referring to repealed laws. Also, micro, small and medium-sized business owners avoid going to a lawyer because of the costs, only to realise later they’ve lost more over the medium and long term. In 10 years I’ve seen hundreds of such cases and I began to ask myself whether there wasn’t an easier way for entrepreneurs to avoid ending up in these situations,” Alexandru Chirita told us.

The team worked on the implementation for 2 years, testing several versions for web design, site architecture and functionality. “Uploading the legal documents into the system and setting up the completion fields for each individual document was exhausting work. It’s true — that’s how we wanted it, so users would make minimal effort to get a finished document. While working on the platform, we came up with the idea of offering a contract review service as well, so we integrated an upload system,” adds Alexandru Chirita. The principles behind DOCAV’s business model are integrity, quality and sustainability.

How DOCAV helps entrepreneurs

DOCAV offers dozens of documents tied to a company’s day-to-day activity and, above all, gives entrepreneurs the ability to complete contracts and other related paperwork. “Starting in 2019, we plan to expand the range of documents to those used in dealings with the public administration, central and local, and by the end of the year we hope to reach 1,000 documents, becoming the largest and most comprehensive document database in Romania,” says Alexandru Chirita.

All an entrepreneur needs is a computer. No specialist knowledge is required — the app is designed to help users complete any document, with plain-language explanations at every step.

Here’s what DOCAV offers:

• The first service for generating contracts and other legal documents (notices, demand letters, general shareholders’ meeting resolutions, sole shareholder decisions, and claims and court filings).
• Cloud storage and real-time, 24/7 editing based on a convenient subscription.
• Accessible from any device, anytime — it’s the kind of service any business needs to be efficient and reduce risk.
• You can upload your own document to be reviewed by a lawyer and even translated, on request.
• If an entrepreneur faces other issues, they can reach a lawyer through the platform, making it much easier to connect client and counsel.

“Beyond the document generation service, we wanted to be there for an entrepreneur when they want more information or need additional legal assistance. Very often, the problems any businessperson faces go beyond the online sphere and require the involvement of a specialist lawyer,” says Alexandru Chirita.

Where an entrepreneur should start to work with DOCAV

When an entrepreneur needs a document or a lawyer, they can turn to DOCAV by visiting https://docav.ro and they’ll find exactly what they need. After registering and choosing one of the available subscriptions, they’re given access to the entire document database and can contact a lawyer at any time.

The three most requested documents on DOCAV

So far, entrepreneurs have most often requested the following documents via the app:

2. begins operating;
3. under which important decisions are made about the company’s future.

“Our partnership with BT is a major achievement.” Discounted offer via BT Store

“Working with Banca Transilvania validates our business idea and shows that the future is arriving much faster than we expected. We’re glad to be part of an innovative concept like BT Store. BT’s contribution to the entrepreneurial environment is very important, by providing a promotion platform for businesses with a modern vision aligned with today’s technology. Our partnership with BT is a major achievement,” says Alexandru Chirita.

By accessing BT Store, entrepreneurs can choose from an offer of discounted subscriptions:

The DOCAV team believes the biggest challenge is to help educate entrepreneurs and build a shared understanding of the importance of doing things properly, across the board.