Microsoft Copilot for Lawyers: Is It Worth the Money?

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How can legal professionals use Copilot? Danielle DavisRoe requested it to carry out some frequent duties.

Microsoft’s long-heralded AI software, Copilot, is lastly accessible to most Microsoft 365 subscribers. It’s not, nonetheless, included in the price of your Microsoft 365 subscription. Due to this fact, it’s essential to resolve whether or not Copilot is price the additional funding.

There are plenty of AI choices on the market to select from, together with free choices. No matter software you select, watch out about what it does with the info you give it. You don’t need to inadvertently breach shopper confidentiality.

How Can Legal professionals Use Copilot? A Check Run

Drafting paperwork, summarizing paperwork and emails, aiding with conferences in Groups, and rushing duties in Excel. Right here’s how Copilot carried out some frequent duties.

Copilot for Drafting

I began writing this text by asking Copilot to “draft an article about whether or not Microsoft Copilot is well worth the cash for a small agency lawyer.” I used to be genuinely inquisitive about what it could say.

Sadly, it began with, “In case you are a small agency lawyer who writes plenty of code, you may need heard of Microsoft Copilot, a brand new software that claims that will help you write higher and quicker code with the ability of synthetic intelligence (AI). ”

You don’t have to learn the remainder of the draft to know that it was fully irrelevant.

Weblog Posts

Many legal professionals are utilizing AI to assist draft advertising and marketing supplies, together with weblog posts. Since this doesn’t contain confidential info, many legal professionals use ChatGPT or different free instruments to assist them get began.

I requested each Copilot and ChatGPT to “draft a weblog publish in regards to the significance of property planning for blended households.”

Copilot did an OK job of a primary draft, however it wasn’t very particular to the distinctive wants of blended households.

ChatGPT did a a lot better job when prompted to tailor the draft to the distinctive wants of blended households.

Formatting

When drafting the weblog publish, Copilot used kinds to format the title, subtitle and headings all through. It used the conventional type, nonetheless, for many of the physique (which I don’t suggest — that’s what the physique kinds are for).

Right now, Copilot is unable to alter the formatting, such because the default font, in a doc.

Copilot for Summarizing Paperwork

I requested Copilot to summarize each a state supreme court docket transient and an working settlement. “Summarize this doc” is a immediate really useful by Copilot. You need to use it with a single click on.

Supreme Courtroom Temporary

I requested it to summarize two variations of the identical transient — one formatted utilizing kinds and one which didn’t comprise any formatting in any way. The styled model was 16 pages lengthy and included a press release of information, an argument with two propositions of regulation, and a conclusion formatted utilizing heading kinds.

Each summaries included hyperlinks to locations within the transient the place it gathered the knowledge.

Each summaries had been correct. Curiously, nonetheless, the abstract of the unformatted model was extra helpful. The abstract of the styled model adopted the heading kinds intently.

The unformatted model included particulars in regards to the different aspect’s arguments and a abstract of the authorized points that the styled model didn’t embody. Each had been helpful issues to incorporate within the abstract.

Whereas each supplied a useful abstract, they overlooked key particulars in regards to the case.

Working Settlement

The working settlement was a bit longer at 16 pages. It included eight articles, formatted utilizing heading kinds.

The abstract initially solely addressed the primary 4 articles. It didn’t embody the hyperlinks to locations within the doc just like the transient summaries did.

When requested to summarize articles 5 by eight, it gave a barely completely different abstract of the primary 4 articles and didn’t deal with the second half of the settlement.

Copilot for Summarizing Electronic mail

Copilot may also summarize emails.

Summarizing Particular person Emails

As of proper now, nonetheless, it doesn’t summarize the attachments on an e mail.

Whereas the abstract is mostly fairly good, it typically refers to pertinent info – comparable to hyperlinks or attachments – however doesn’t embody the precise hyperlink or attachment within the abstract.

Summarizing A number of Emails at As soon as

You can’t have it summarize your entire unread emails from inside Outlook (a minimum of not but). You may, nonetheless, undergo Groups to have Copilot summarize emails from the final week. It’s hit and miss which emails it consists of within the abstract.

Copilot for Conferences

Throughout a Groups assembly, activate Copilot to have it transcribe the assembly, present motion gadgets, and summarize what has been mentioned up to now.

Whereas it usually does a very good job of noting the issues that every attendee has agreed to do, it misses the deadlines agreed upon.

After the assembly, you possibly can entry a transcript of the assembly proper inside Groups. You also needs to be capable of entry the abstract and motion gadgets, however I’ve discovered the abstract and motion gadgets to be unreliable after the assembly. They’re typically clean even when Copilot was used in the course of the assembly to seize them.

Getting ready for Conferences

By Groups, you possibly can ask Copilot for a listing of conferences arising. You can too ask if there are any paperwork you should assessment to arrange for it. Sadly, it typically overlooks the attachments to the assembly and focuses as an alternative on paperwork that the assembly attendees not too long ago modified in Groups/SharePoint.

Copilot for Groups Messages

CoPilot may also assist summarize Groups chat messages and posts in Groups channels. You may ask it for stuff you missed or to summarize messages from yesterday.

Copilot for Excel

Copilot might help you with Excel in case your workbook is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint and also you’re utilizing an Excel desk. It is going to generally provide to transform your knowledge right into a desk for you.

Copilot actually shines with regards to writing formulation. It not solely drafts the system for you, however it explains how the system it’s proposing works.

I began with a desk with a listing of dates. With CoPilot, I used to be in a position to simply add a column for discovery deadlines and add 28 days to the date of service.

It was additionally in a position to challenge billables for the subsequent yr. It instructed multiplying the earlier yr’s hours by 10%. That could be unrealistic for an already busy agency, however it’s not fully off base both.

Copilot’s Velocity

Copilot takes some time to course of and full requests. In actuality, it’s only some seconds, however it feels lots longer.

Copilot’s Future

Copilot will proceed to enhance and get extra sturdy options. Studying to make use of it now could also be useful, however it’s possible you’ll need to wait till it has extra of the options you want earlier than paying for one more subscription.

Need to get extra out of the software program you employ every single day?

Try Affinity Consulting Group’s legal-specific software program manuals.

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