Transforming legal workflows
with AI at LexCheck
Objective and purpose
The legal profession often requires lawyers to review lengthy contracts—ranging from 15 to 50+ pages. This process is not only time-intensive but also involves multiple people and days of effort. The primary goal of this project was to simplify this workflow using AI, enabling lawyers to identify and address contract issues more efficiently while maintaining their preferred tools and workflows.
Balancing AI integration with user needs
To ensure seamless adoption and ease of use, I designed a contract review solution fully integrated into Microsoft Word, the tool most commonly used by lawyers. This approach preserved the familiarity of the interface while addressing complex challenges, such as maintaining the formatting of intricate legal documents. The result was a solution that fit naturally into users' workflows without disrupting their established practices.
The AI-driven system streamlined the contract review process by comparing agreements against a predefined playbook, tailored sets of rules defined by companies or law firms. It flagged areas requiring attention, agreement, or modification, eliminating the need for lawyers to read entire documents repeatedly. Identified issues were clearly highlighted, enabling users to navigate directly to the problem areas and address them efficiently.
A non-intrusive yet comprehensive sidebar was designed to display flagged issues alongside suggested actions. This feature allowed users to review and act on AI-generated insights directly within the plugin, maintaining their reading flow and minimizing interruptions. To further enhance usability, accessibility features such as tooltips were incorporated. These provided additional context and clarity for each flagged issue, ensuring users understood the reasoning behind every suggestion.
This integration of AI and thoughtful design not only simplified a traditionally time-consuming process but also ensured that legal professionals could work more effectively within a tool they were already comfortable using.
Enhanced efficiency and usability
The AI-driven solution significantly reduced contract review times, transforming a process that once took days into one completed within hours. By allowing lawyers to focus solely on key issues, the system eliminated the need to sift through irrelevant text, streamlining their workflow and enhancing productivity.
Accuracy was also greatly improved through the use of playbook-based AI. The system reliably flagged potential risks and deviations, ensuring that critical details were not overlooked. This heightened precision gave legal teams confidence in their reviews, reducing the likelihood of errors and omissions.
Adoption was seamless thanks to the plugin’s intuitive interface, which preserved familiar workflows while offering clear, actionable guidance. This thoughtful design enabled teams to transition smoothly and use the tool effectively from the start. Additionally, the system's scalability allowed customization of playbooks for various clients or legal standards, ensuring it could adapt to diverse needs and remain a valuable asset for legal professionals.
Future-proofed playbook management
To support the evolving needs of legal teams, I designed a flexible system for managing playbooks. This allowed administrators to update rules and tailor them to specific clients or legal standards. By simplifying the process of maintaining and refining these rule sets, the design ensured the solution could adapt seamlessly to changing requirements, offering lasting value and reliability.
