Have you used AI for a first-pass contract review against your own playbook?

Tools like Spellbook, LegalOn or Copilot in Word compare a contract with your standard positions and suggest redlines. A lawyer still reviews and decides every change.

How to automate it

How to automate “review and redline customer and vendor contracts”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

120 min

typically, a few times a week

45%

of the time can be automated

Some setup

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

AIBest fix

Have AI do a first pass against your playbook, then a lawyer decides

Contract AI (Spellbook, LegalOn, Ironclad AI, Harvey, Legora, Copilot in Word) flags clauses that differ from your positions and suggests redlines. A qualified reviewer accepts or rejects every change; use only tools approved for confidential documents.

Typically saves about 40% of the time2 h to set up

1Write your playbook: for the 10 to 15 clauses that matter, your standard position, acceptable fallback and walk-away.
2Use a contract AI tool or an enterprise AI account your company has approved for client and counterparty data.
3Run the contract with the prompt below (or load the playbook into the tool).
4Review every flag and suggested redline yourself; do not send AI redlines unread.
5Add new positions to the playbook as you negotiate.

Prompt to copy

You are assisting an in-house lawyer. Review the attached [CONTRACT TYPE] from the perspective of [OUR COMPANY] as [CUSTOMER / VENDOR]. Compare it against our playbook below. For each clause that differs, give: clause reference, what it says, our position, risk level (high/medium/low), and a suggested redline in tracked-change style. Then list any missing clauses we normally require. Do not give a final recommendation to sign; quote the contract exactly.

Playbook:
[PASTE POSITIONS]

Tools: Spellbook · LegalOn · Ironclad AI · Harvey · Legora · Microsoft Copilot in Word · Enterprise ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot (approved for confidential data)

Fix 2 of 2

Process fix

Write a clause playbook with fallback positions

A one-page position for each key clause (preferred, fallback, never) lets contract managers handle most negotiations and makes AI review much more accurate.

Typically saves about 30% of the time8 h to set up

1Pull your last 20 negotiated contracts and list the clauses that always come up.
2For each, write the preferred wording, acceptable fallbacks and who can approve going further.
3Store it next to your templates and in your contract AI tool.
4Review it twice a year.

Tools: Word or Google Docs · CLM clause library

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you used AI for a first-pass contract review against your own playbook?: Tools like Spellbook, LegalOn or Copilot in Word compare a contract with your standard positions and suggest redlines. A lawyer still reviews and 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.

In-house counsel Contract manager Procurement / purchasing specialist

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