Background

AI in Legal: Brilliant for Drafting and Extraction - Dangerous for "Authority"

Legal teams can gain huge time back with AI - if it's used for the right tasks and controlled properly. The safest high-value uses are summarising, extracting, drafting routine correspondence, and structuring notes. The riskiest uses are where AI is treated like and authoritative legal source.

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High-Value, Safer Use Cases for Legal 

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Clause extraction and risk lists

AI can identify key clauses, unusual terms, and negotiation questions - then a solicitor verifies.
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Matter updates

Turn notes into structured updates: status, deadlines, next actions, risks.
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Routine drafting

Draft first versions of letters and client communications - with solicitor sign-off.

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Client intake

Convert enquiry notes into checklists, questions, and next steps.
Real-World Stories

National Grid's Legal Team Using AI to Save Hours Each Week

 

The Financial Times reported that National Grid's legal team adopted AI tooling (including Harvey) to cope with growing workloads from major infrastructure programmes. It's reporting the team is saving several hours per week through AI support - freeing capacity for higher-value legal work (risk management, collaboration, complex decisions|) rather than repetitive drafting and analysis.

 

Why This Matters for SMEs: Even small legal teams (or in-house counsel) can use AI safely for summarising, drafting routine comms, and extracting key points - so long as confidentiality rules and verification are strict.

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Source: The Financial Times
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Prompt Pack for Solicitors and Legal Services

Each of the below prompts follows the C.G.S.E. (Context. Goal. Source. Expectation) Framework.

Context: Solicitor support task: identify key clauses and risks for review.

Goal: Extract clauses and risks.

Source: Use only the contract text below.

Expectations: Table: Clause topic, Summary, Risk level (low/med/high), Questions to raise. Do not invest case law.

Context: We need a clean matter update for internal handover.

Goal: Create a structured update.

Source: Use only the notes below.

Expectations: Sections: Status, Key dates, Actions (Owner and deadline), Client comms needed, Open questions.

Context: Draft a client email summarising progress and next steps.

Goal: Create a draft email for solicitor review.

Source: Use only the facts below.

Expectations: Neutral tone. No legal advice. Clearly label next steps and deadlines.

Context: New enquiry intake. We need to gather missing info efficiently.

Goal: Create an intake checklist.

Source: Use only intake notes attached.

Expectations: Two lists: Info required; Questions to ask. Keep it concise.

Context: Rewrite for clarity while preserving legal meaning.

Goal: Improve readability.

Source: Use only the letter text below.

Expectations: Keep structure where possible. No new claims. Flag ambiguous sentences.

Context: We need a quick reference for defined terms.

Goal: Extract defined terms.

Source: Use only the contract excerpt below.

Expectations: Table: Term, Definition, Where used (if obvious). Don't guess.

Context: Prepare for negotiation on a draft agreement.

Goal: Produce negotiation questions and priorities.

Source: Use only the draft agreement attached.

Expectations: Group by: Commercial, Liability, Termination, Data/Confidentiality, Operational. Neutral tone.

Context: Post-client meeting follow up.

Goal: Create an agreed summary for review.

Source: Use only meeting notes attached.

Expectations: Clear, factual, no commitments unless stated. Include actions and deadlines.

Context: Create a starting structure for a precedent checklist.

Goal: Draft checklist headings.

Source: Use only the matter type and requirements below.

Expectations: Headings only; no legal analysis. Keep it tidy and practical.

Context: Quick risk scan to support solicitor review.

Goal: Identify potential red flags.

Source: Use only content in the document attached.

Expectations: List: Red flags, Why it matters, What to check. If uncertain, label "Needs verification".

AI Governance

Apex Helps You Build a Safe and
Effective AI Environment

 

At Apex, we can support you with:

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Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption and optimisation
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AI governance and policy creation
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Data protection and compliance alignment
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Hand-on staff training
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Tailored use-case development
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Ongoing monitoring and optimisation
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Guardrails for Your AI

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Don't rely on AI for citations/case law without verification

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Don't paste client confidential matter into unapproved tools

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Treat outputs as drafting support, not advice

A Sensible 30-Day Starting Plan

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Week 1

Pick 2 workflows and define success measures
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Week 2

Create templates and approval steps
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Week 3

Pilot with one team, measure time saved and rework reduction
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Week 4

Standardise what worked and expand safely
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