Microsoft 365 Copilot<\/a> makes it easy for lawyers to summarize detailed legal documents like court briefs and contracts. Lawyers can start the summary with a simple command: “Summarize this legal document” This tool works well with both formatted documents and plain text incorporating all critical information into the summary.<\/p>\nFor instance, when summarizing a 16-page Supreme Court brief, whether formatted with headings or just plain text, Copilot managed to provide informative summaries. Interestingly, the plain text brief’s summary included more details about the opposing arguments and legal issues than the formatted version. This shows Copilot’s ability to pick out important details no matter how the document is presented.<\/p>\n
Copilot also handled a complex operational agreement that was 16 pages long and divided into eight sections. It initially summarized only the first half, but after further prompts, it summarized the rest as well. This shows how Copilot can be directed to focus on specific parts of a document as needed.<\/li>\n
\nSummarizing Emails with Copilot<\/h3>\n
Copilot summarizes the content of individual emails or entire threads of emails to help lawyers manage their emails efficiently. You can use this to keep up with a large number of emails without having to read every one individually. Although Copilot summarises the content of emails, it does not currently summarize attachments or include links to documents mentioned within the emails. Generally, it provides accurate summaries, but some details were omitted, showing that while helpful, human oversight is still required to capture the finer points.<\/p>\n
For managing a larger batch of emails, lawyers can use Copilot through Microsoft Teams to get summaries of communications from the past week. This feature helps lawyers stay informed about key discussions and decisions, although it may vary which emails are included in the summary.<\/li>\n
\nDrafting Documents<\/h3>\n
Copilot will be able to draft an article about its value for small law firms. Although the initial output might be off-target, with further prompting, it will be able to produce a good one. This illustrates the importance of clearly specifying the task to Copilot.<\/p>\n
Copilot can help draft marketing content like blog posts. For instance, when tasked with writing about estate planning for blended families, Copilot\u2019s initial draft was generic. It required further prompts to tailor the content more precisely to blended families\u2019 needs.<\/li>\n
\nMeeting Assistance<\/h3>\n
In Team meetings, Copilot can transcribe discussions, identify action items, and summarize conversations. It helps capture commitments made during meetings, although it may miss specific agreed-upon dates.<\/p>\n
Copilot can prepare you for upcoming meetings by listing necessary documents and summarizing recent communications, although its ability to identify relevant attachments can be hit-or-miss.<\/li>\n
\nExcel Automation<\/h3>\n
Copilot excels at automating Excel tasks. It can suggest formulas and transform data efficiently, significantly speeding up document preparation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n