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Transforming Legal Workflows with AI at LexCheck

Law Tech

Transforming Legal Workflows with AI at LexCheck

Designing a seamless Microsoft Word plugin to streamline contract review for legal professionals

Project Overview

Lawyers spend significant time reviewing lengthy legal contracts, a process prone to inefficiency and human error. I led the design of an AI-powered Microsoft Word plugin that integrates contract analysis directly into the user’s workflow enhancing efficiency without disrupting established habits.

Problem Statement

Legal professionals waste valuable time reviewing contracts manually, often repeating work and missing key issues. Existing tools are too disruptive or fail to integrate smoothly into their preferred working environments, especially Microsoft Word.

Industry

Law Tech

My Role

Lead Designer

Platforms

Web

Timeline

March 2024 - October 2024

View Live Project

View Live Project

Persona

Robert Kein

Senior Legal Counsel at a mid-sized tech company

A senior in-house counsel responsible for reviewing vendor contracts and ensuring compliance with company standards.

Age: 53

Location: New York City

Tech Proficiency: Moderate – comfortable with MS Office

Gender: Male

Goal

Review contracts quickly while maintaining accuracy.

Ensure contracts align with internal legal standards and playbooks.

Work within familiar tools to avoid learning curves and disruptions.

Frustrations

Repetitive manual work that delays contract processing.

Lack of centralized guidance or standardized review rules.

Disruptive legal tech tools that require switching contexts.

Process

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with in-house legal teams and external counsel to understand daily contract review habits.

Observed how users interact with Microsoft Word during contract redlining tasks.

Mapped out workflows to identify friction points and areas AI could support repetitive tasks.

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with in-house legal teams and external counsel to understand daily contract review habits.

Observed how users interact with Microsoft Word during contract redlining tasks.

Mapped out workflows to identify friction points and areas AI could support repetitive tasks.

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with in-house legal teams and external counsel to understand daily contract review habits.

Observed how users interact with Microsoft Word during contract redlining tasks.

Mapped out workflows to identify friction points and areas AI could support repetitive tasks.

[02] Insights

Lawyers strongly prefer working within Word changing tools leads to adoption friction.

Most contract reviews follow an internal playbook or checklist, which can be standardized.

Highlighting issues in context, without cluttering the document, is essential for trust and clarity.

[02] Insights

Lawyers strongly prefer working within Word changing tools leads to adoption friction.

Most contract reviews follow an internal playbook or checklist, which can be standardized.

Highlighting issues in context, without cluttering the document, is essential for trust and clarity.

[02] Insights

Lawyers strongly prefer working within Word changing tools leads to adoption friction.

Most contract reviews follow an internal playbook or checklist, which can be standardized.

Highlighting issues in context, without cluttering the document, is essential for trust and clarity.

[03] Design Solution

Designed a Microsoft Word plugin that flags contract issues based on an AI-powered playbook.

Created a right-hand sidebar to display issues and suggestions without interfering with the document.

Added contextual tooltips and explanations for AI suggestions to build trust and transparency.

[03] Design Solution

Designed a Microsoft Word plugin that flags contract issues based on an AI-powered playbook.

Created a right-hand sidebar to display issues and suggestions without interfering with the document.

Added contextual tooltips and explanations for AI suggestions to build trust and transparency.

[03] Design Solution

Designed a Microsoft Word plugin that flags contract issues based on an AI-powered playbook.

Created a right-hand sidebar to display issues and suggestions without interfering with the document.

Added contextual tooltips and explanations for AI suggestions to build trust and transparency.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Tested early wireframes with legal users to validate layout and information hierarchy.

Refined sidebar interaction based on feedback to ensure it complemented, not distracted from, reading flow.

Iterated on issue labeling and tooltip clarity to improve user confidence in AI suggestions.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Tested early wireframes with legal users to validate layout and information hierarchy.

Refined sidebar interaction based on feedback to ensure it complemented, not distracted from, reading flow.

Iterated on issue labeling and tooltip clarity to improve user confidence in AI suggestions.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Tested early wireframes with legal users to validate layout and information hierarchy.

Refined sidebar interaction based on feedback to ensure it complemented, not distracted from, reading flow.

Iterated on issue labeling and tooltip clarity to improve user confidence in AI suggestions.

Outcome

Reduced contract review time from days to hours, significantly increasing team efficiency.
Ensured higher review accuracy with consistent playbook application across users.
Achieved high adoption among legal teams due to the plugin’s familiarity and ease of use.

Key Learnings

Design Around Existing Behaviors

Embedding solutions in familiar tools increases adoption and reduces friction.

Design Around Existing Behaviors

Embedding solutions in familiar tools increases adoption and reduces friction.

Design Around Existing Behaviors

Embedding solutions in familiar tools increases adoption and reduces friction.

Clarity Builds Trust in AI

Lawyers need transparency and control to feel confident in automated recommendations.

Clarity Builds Trust in AI

Lawyers need transparency and control to feel confident in automated recommendations.

Clarity Builds Trust in AI

Lawyers need transparency and control to feel confident in automated recommendations.

Design Enables Scale

Flexible rule management allows organizations to tailor the tool to specific clients or regulations, future-proofing the product.

Design Enables Scale

Flexible rule management allows organizations to tailor the tool to specific clients or regulations, future-proofing the product.

Design Enables Scale

Flexible rule management allows organizations to tailor the tool to specific clients or regulations, future-proofing the product.

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