First Time Setup

After installation, Certum Draft guides you through initial setup. Here’s what each step involves.

Terms of Use

The first screen shows the Terms of Use. These cover:

• The software is provided as-is for testing purposes
• You’re responsible for verifying all generated documents
• Your data stays on your computer (no cloud storage)

Click Accept & Continue to proceed.

Licence Activation

You’ll need a licence — or your firm’s Setup Pack — to use Certum Draft.

Setting up a second Mac? Use the Setup Pack

If Certum Draft is already set up in your firm, the fastest way in is the firm’s Setup Pack — one encrypted file that activates your licence and applies the firm’s settings (folders, Notion connection, the Tasks database and the Office page) in a single step. Ask whoever administers Certum Draft to export one for you.

1. Click Import Setup Pack…
2. Choose the .certumsetup file — it’s usually kept in the firm’s shared Dropbox folder
3. Enter the passphrase that came with the pack (it travels separately from the file)

That’s it — the licence, folder locations, and Notion connection are all applied at once.

Entering a licence key by hand

If you don’t have a Setup Pack, enter your licence manually below the or enter a license key divider:

1. Paste your licence key (it looks like CERTUM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)
2. Optionally add your email address and name (your name is used for the home-page greeting)
3. Click Activate

Note

Don’t have a licence key? Contact [email protected] to request one.

Once activated, you’ll see a confirmation screen. Click Continue to proceed.

Document Engine Setup

Certum Draft uses a document engine to generate your Word and Excel files. The engine — including its own Python runtime — is signed and bundled inside the app, so there’s nothing to install separately and no system Python is needed or used. This step just checks the bundled engine and gets it ready.

What’s happening:

• Checking the bundled document engine
• Configuring the template engine

This usually takes a few seconds. When complete, click Continue.

Tip

If the check fails, click Reset & Retry in the setup window. If it keeps failing, re-download and reinstall Certum Draft — reinstalling restores the bundled engine. You never need to install Python yourself.

Quick Setup

The final step configures where Certum Draft stores your files.

Note

If you imported a Setup Pack — on the licence screen or the welcome step — these locations are already filled in for you. The welcome step also checks your Dropbox folders for a pack automatically and offers it if one is found. Just review the folders and continue.

Matters Folder

This is where all your client matter folders will be created.

Recommended: Use your firm’s existing matters folder, such as:

• A shared network drive
• A Dropbox or iCloud folder
• A local folder on your Mac

Click Choose Folder to select the location.

Templates Folder

This is where Certum Draft looks for document templates.

Your administrator will set up templates here. Each template type (Estates, Conveyancing, etc.) has its own subfolder.

Matter Numbering

Choose how matter numbers are generated:

Format	Example	Best For
Sequential	000001, 000002, 000003	Simple numbering
Year-Sequential	2026-0001, 2026-0002	Reset each year
Custom Prefix	ABC-000001	Firm-specific codes

The next number comes from the matters already in the folder, so a new Mac joining a firm never restarts the sequence or lowers the firm’s shared counter — onboarding writes a number only if it is above every matter it can see.

Folder Naming

Choose how matter folders are named:

Default format: {matterNumber} - {surname} {givenName} - {matter.name}

Example: 000107 - SCHRUTE Dwight - Estate of Mose Schrute

All Done!

Click Get Started to complete setup and open Certum Draft.

Adjusting Settings Later

Every option from Quick Setup can be changed later from Settings (⌘ + ,), a sidebar of ten panes. The General pane shows your licence, weather location, and configuration status; Paths holds the folders and Matters the numbering, and the Settings reference covers the rest.

Optional: Connect Notion

If your firm uses Notion as its client and matter register, you can connect it from Settings → Notion. This is optional — Certum Draft works without it — but connecting adds shared notes, team status, tasks and the Leads workflow (tracking enquiries before they become matters).

1. In Notion, create an internal integration and copy the integration token
2. In Certum Draft, open Settings → Notion and paste the token, then click Save Token
3. Paste your Clients database URL (or ID) and your Matters database URL (or ID) — they save as you type
4. Click Find or Create Leads Database… — Certum Draft locates an existing Leads database in the same Notion workspace, or offers to create one with the full schema if none exists
5. Optionally pick Default watchers — these workspace members are automatically tagged on every new lead so Notion can notify them
6. For tasks, paste the Tasks database URL (or ID) and choose who you are under I am — see Tasks

Tip

Share your Clients, Matters, and Leads databases with your Notion integration (via each database’s Connections menu) or Certum Draft won’t be able to see them.

You’re now ready to:

• Create your first matter
• Generate documents