Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “redline contracts and negotiate changes with the other side”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

90 min
typically, a few times a week
45%
of the time can be automated
Some setup
to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Software featureBest fix

Redline against your clause playbook with a legal AI add-in for Word

Write down your standard positions and fallbacks once; legal AI add-ins for Word (Spellbook, CoCounsel Legal, Harvey, Microsoft Copilot in Word) compare the other side's draft against them and suggest tracked changes. The lawyer reviews and decides every change.

Typically saves about 35% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Write a one-page playbook for each common agreement: your preferred position, acceptable fallback and walk-away for the key clauses.
  2. 2Load it into the firm-approved legal AI add-in for Word; do not paste client documents into consumer AI.
  3. 3Run the review on the incoming draft and work through the suggested redlines one by one.
  4. 4Accept, edit or reject each suggestion yourself; the lawyer is responsible for every change that goes out.

Tools: Spellbook · CoCounsel Legal · Harvey · Microsoft Copilot in Word

Fix 2 of 2

Software feature

Use your firm's approved legal AI to review, summarize and draft

Legal AI tools such as CoCounsel, Harvey, Lexis+ AI, Spellbook and Clio Manage AI summarize documents, pull out key terms and draft first versions inside a secure, firm-approved setup. A lawyer must review all output.

Typically saves about 40% of the time30 min to set up
  1. 1Check which legal AI your firm has approved; do not paste client material into consumer AI.
  2. 2Upload the documents and ask for a summary, timeline or clause list.
  3. 3Use it for first drafts of standard documents and correspondence.
  4. 4Verify every citation, quote and fact against the source before it goes to a lawyer or client.

Tools: Thomson Reuters CoCounsel Legal · Harvey · Lexis+ AI · Spellbook · Clio Manage AI

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you used a legal AI add-in in Word to redline a contract against your playbook?
Tools like Spellbook, CoCounsel Legal or Harvey compare the other side's draft to your standard positions and suggest tracked changes. The lawyer decides every change.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

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Other common tasks for Attorney / Lawyers (firm)