What's a 'standard'?

What is a 'standard'? 

The question of what constitutes a standard over a 'good template' is important. Our view is that a 'standard' requires an element of consensus from the community that it is in fact a standard.

If a document is unilaterally issued and labelled a 'standard' without it having gone through a process of iteration, wide acceptance or public consultation, this cannot be considered a standard. It can be a good template, but it's not a standard. 

So what's a 'standard' then?

Here's what Claustack considers a standard to be: 

1. Agreements that have been created through a blend of input from a committee of legal professionals and input from the wider community before the document is issued. The creation process should be transparent and public. 

2. Template agreements that have been created by a committee of legal professionals through a process of iteration, but not had input from the wider community. The creation process should be transparent and public. This type of template will only be considered a standard once it's been widely adopted by the community.

3. Template agreements that have been 'crowd-sourced' by the broader community without input from a committee. 

What is NOT a standard? 

1. Templates created by individuals or single organisations without wider input and which are not widely accepted, known or used. 

2. Templates downloaded from Practical Law (PLC) or other similar subscription-based platforms.