01 Define
Name the finished output
Record the trigger, contract type, represented side, governing law, expected output, people involved and exception route. A broad instruction to review the contract is not a stable test.
Contract-review workflow
Measure the review before evaluating the AI.
Contract-review technology becomes easier to judge when the firm can describe the incoming work, the approved position, the exception route and the qualified review needed to reach a usable result.
Operational guidance for independent law firms. No contract upload and no legal advice.
The operating sequence
Review is more than reading clauses.
The work begins when an agreement arrives and ends only when the appropriate lawyer has accepted the result, dealt with exceptions and retained the evidence behind the decision.
02 Measure
Count completed work
Measure the base pass, correction time, escalation and qualified approval. Timing an initial AI response alone ignores the work needed to make that response usable.
03 Decide
Compare the four routes
Fix the current process, buy an existing product, run a small supervised pilot or leave the workflow alone. Compare each route against the same baseline and governance needs.
Playbook readiness
Give the reviewer a position they can actually apply.
A playbook is not a folder of precedents. It needs enough structure to tell a reviewer what matters, which position applies and when the issue must move to a person.
Define the scope
- contract type and represented side
- jurisdiction and law-as-of date
- approved positions and fallback language
- materiality and escalation thresholds
- source and approval history
Test the exceptions
- unusual structures and missing clauses
- conflicting provisions and cross-references
- counterparty wording outside the examples
- issues requiring commercial judgment
- evidence the reviewer must retain
Evidence before a pilot
A representative test should be capable of failing.
Use made-up, properly redacted or approved historical material that preserves the variation of the real task. Put the expected issue, source evidence and reviewer standard beside every example.
Compare like with like
Measure completed and supervised output under the current process and the proposed route. Include correction, source checking and escalation in both totals.
Agree the stop condition
Stop for unsupported material output, prohibited data use, unacceptable correction time, missing evidence, review-capacity failure or operating cost outside the agreed boundary.
Keep a named owner
One person owns the decision. Lawyers doing the work, the qualified reviewer, sponsor, risk, data and IT roles contribute without dissolving accountability.
Independent decision route
Margo Legal starts without a product answer.
The Workflow Value Workshop turns firm-supplied evidence into a current-state map, baseline, governance route and written recommendation. Buying a product is only one possible outcome.
See the WorkshopSeparate product route
Margo is a controlled-development preview.
Margo shows an intended playbook-led contract-review workflow with structured findings, source evidence and lawyer decisions. It is not authorised for confidential live client matters and is not assumed by the Workshop.
Inspect Margo's StatusStart with the current work
Build the baseline before choosing the route.
Use the calculator for a first estimate, then freeze the five measures and score the workflow against recurrence, ownership, approval, data and review capacity.
Put the answer to work
What should we record before changing a document-review workflow?
Trace one document from request to final record and isolate delay, rework and legal-review points. Map facts, precedent, drafting, review and approval as one route. Record the context, permission and source checks rather than relying on fluent output.
These optional PDF worksheets are available without an email address, booking or client data. They are operational aids, not legal advice.
- Modernising Legal Document Workflows (PDF): A practical map for efficiency, accuracy and controlled change.
- Context-Aware AI for Lawyers (PDF): A boundary guide for source material, instructions, retrieval and review.
- Legal Document Drafting Automation Guide (PDF): A vendor-neutral route for templates, clause logic and review.
Build the contract-workflow baseline, or browse all 63 ungated guides.
Two-minute self-check