Services
Explore
Free AI assessmentAnswer 15 questions about one process and see where AI could help.
Start an assessmentAI-assisted first-pass contract review
Prepare a structured first pass against agreed review criteria, with a lawyer responsible for checking the document and the output. This page explains what that involves and where it is less suitable.
AI-assisted contract review uses a language model to read a contract against criteria your firm agrees, then produce a structured summary: clauses that differ from your standard position, missing provisions and the obligations on each party. A lawyer checks the summary against the document and makes the judgement calls. The time saved varies with the contract type and how much correction the output needs.
See it run
Contract review agent in practice
The workflow as it runs day to day, with a person signing off at the end. Sample data.
- Read the contractClauses extracted and labelledDocuments
- Check clauses against the playbookThe firm’s own positionsPlaybook
- Flag deviations with a risk ratingHigh, medium or lowModel
- Prepare a structured summaryEach point linked to its clauseDocuments
What it involves
What a first-pass review produces
AI-assisted contract review uses a language model to read a contract against criteria your firm agrees, then produce a structured summary: clauses that differ from your standard position, missing provisions and the obligations on each party. A lawyer checks the summary against the document and makes the judgement calls. The time saved varies with the contract type and how much correction the output needs.
The aim is to shorten the read-through and clause-flagging stage on standard documents. The lawyer still reads the contract. A list of flagged issues can leave out matters the system failed to surface, so the lawyer's review covers the document as well as the summary.
The summary shows which clauses deviate from your standard, what each party has to do and where the lawyer may want to look first. Your review criteria decide what the tool looks for, so writing them down is usually the first piece of work.
Setting expectations
What AI contract review can and cannot do
Use these points to judge whether a pilot is worth running:
Higher-volume standard documents such as NDAs, employment contracts, supplier agreements and commercial leases, where your firm already has a standard position to compare against.
Novel instruments, heavily negotiated documents and matters where the judgement involved is complex. These need a lawyer's full review, and an AI summary adds little.
Run the tool on documents a lawyer has already reviewed. Record what it found, what it missed and the total time including the lawyer's check.
A model can miss a clause or describe it wrongly. The lawyer's check of the document is part of the process, and the summary is material for that check.
How we help
Working with Reformat Labs
We build first-pass review tools set up around your document types, your standard positions and the checks your lawyers carry out.
Our page on AI for law firms sets out other legal tasks we work on.
Common questions
Questions about AI contract review
What types of contracts can AI review?
Standard, higher-volume documents suit it best: NDAs, employment contracts, supplier agreements, commercial leases and similar. Highly negotiated or novel documents depend more on the lawyer's judgement and benefit less.
Can AI replace a lawyer for contract review?
No. The tool prepares a first-pass summary. A qualified lawyer reviews the document and the summary, decides what matters and advises the client.
How accurate is AI contract review?
It varies with the document type, the review criteria and how the tool is set up. We test it on a sample of your documents that a lawyer has already reviewed, and record what it found and missed, before you decide whether to use it more widely.
What about confidentiality?
Business AI services and consumer tools can have different terms on data use and retention, so the choice of service matters. We go through client confidentiality, data protection and your professional obligations with you, then agree the safeguards and checks before the tool is used on client documents.
What does a deployment involve?
Scoping the document type and review criteria, building the tool, testing it against documents a lawyer has already reviewed, then a limited trial with your team. The timescale depends on the number of document types and any connection to your document or case management system, and we agree it during scoping.
Talk to us
Tell us how the task works today
Bring the task that takes your team the most time. We reply within one working day.