What can AI automate for a Paralegal?

AI can help with: First-pass review and tagging of large discovery document sets; Summarizing depositions, transcripts, and long records; Building case timelines and chronologies from files; Drafting routine letters, memos, and discovery requests; Transcribing interviews and hearing recordings.

What stays distinctly human for a Paralegal?

Still human: Verifying every citation and fact against the actual source; Confirming court rules, deadlines, and filing requirements; Reading the room in client and witness interactions; Judgment calls about what matters to case strategy; Keeping confidential information secure and following ethics rules.

AI for Paralegal: your role's AI playbook

The shift

How AI is changing the Paralegal role

AI now handles big chunks of the routine work paralegals do every day, like summarizing depositions, reviewing discovery documents, and drafting first versions of pleadings and correspondence. It can pull key dates and facts from long records and flag inconsistencies across filings. The result is less time spent on repetitive reading and more time on case strategy and client support.

What AI can take off your plate

First-pass review and tagging of large discovery document sets
Summarizing depositions, transcripts, and long records
Building case timelines and chronologies from files
Drafting routine letters, memos, and discovery requests
Transcribing interviews and hearing recordings

What stays distinctly human

Verifying every citation and fact against the actual source
Confirming court rules, deadlines, and filing requirements
Reading the room in client and witness interactions
Judgment calls about what matters to case strategy
Keeping confidential information secure and following ethics rules

Tools

Five AI tools for Paralegals

CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters)

A paralegal uses it to review document sets, summarize depositions, and prepare timelines from case files with citations back to the source.

Lexis+ AI

Use it to run legal research questions, find on-point cases and statutes, and get drafted summaries with linked authorities.

Try it →

ChatGPT

A paralegal drafts client letters, internal memos, and discovery request lists, then edits the output for accuracy and tone.

Try it →

Spellbook

Use it to review and redline contracts inside Word, flagging missing clauses and unusual terms for attorney review.

Try it →

Otter.ai

A paralegal uses it to transcribe client interviews, witness calls, and hearing recordings into searchable text.

Try it →

Prompts

Five prompts to try today

Paste these into Claude or ChatGPT and replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

1. Summarize a deposition

Summarize the attached deposition transcript of [witness name]. List the key admissions, any contradictions with [prior statement or document], and page-line citations for each point. Keep it under one page.

2. Build a chronology

From the documents below, build a chronological timeline of events in [case name]. For each entry give the date, what happened, the people involved, and the source document. Flag any gaps or conflicting dates.

3. Draft a discovery request

Draft a set of requests for production for a [type of case] matter. The claims involve [brief facts]. Focus on documents about [topics]. Format them in numbered requests using [jurisdiction] style.

4. Review a contract clause

Review this [type of agreement] for our client, who is the [party role]. Flag missing standard clauses, one-sided terms, and anything that conflicts with [our position]. List each issue with the clause number.

5. Cite-check a memo

Check the citations in the text below for correct Bluebook format. List each citation, note formatting errors, and provide the corrected version. Do not verify whether the cases are still good law.

A day in your inbox

This is the kind of brief a Paralegal gets, every weekday morning.

The Morning Current

Monday morning

✦ Personalized for: Paralegal

Legal Playbook

First-pass NDA review

Screen an NDA in five minutes

Most inbound NDAs are routine. A few hide bad terms. You still read all of them line by line. Let the model do the first pass so you only spend real time on the ones that need it.

Claude FREE reads long documents and flags risk against your standard positions

The old way

You open the PDF, read all eight pages, and mark up clauses from memory. Twenty minutes per NDA, and the tenth one gets less attention than the first.

The AI way

You get a one-page flag sheet: term length, mutual vs one-way, governing law, carve-outs, and anything off-market. You read the flags, then read only the clauses that need a human.

You are reviewing a mutual NDA on behalf of [YOUR COMPANY], the receiving party. Here is our standard position: term of 3 years, mutual obligations, [YOUR STATE] governing law, standard confidentiality carve-outs (public information, independently developed, already known). Review the NDA below. List every clause that deviates from our standard position. For each, quote the language, say why it matters, and suggest redline wording. Flag anything unusual or one-sided. Do not summarize the whole document. NDA text:

[PASTE NDA]

Why it works: Do not paste an NDA that is itself marked highly confidential into a free consumer tool, and confirm your firm's policy on document tools first. Every flag is a starting point, not a decision. A lawyer signs off before you send redlines back.

Your role, all in one place

Tools, prompts & tricks

Your full library, one tap away.

›

Your playbook

Every entry, building each week.

›

How AI is changing your role

Where your work is heading.

›

You’re subscribed as Paralegal. · Update your roles · Manage preferences · Unsubscribe
The Morning Current · Powered by Atomic Media Group, LLC