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Does anyone remember Clippy? Clippy was a little paperclip icon that appeared in Microsoft Word, ostensibly to help users navigate the word processing program. It was typically more annoying than helpful, especially for users familiar with Word’s features. However, it was a precursor to Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered document assistant.
Recent updates to the Word interface make Copilot more “in your face” like Clippy was. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, the Copilot icon appears and gives you options if you hover your mouse over it. My guess is that Microsoft hopes users will be more likely to click on those options and find out what Copilot can do.
For many lawyers and paralegals, Microsoft Word is the place where legal work gets done. (Uses include, but are not limited to, briefs, contracts, client letters, internal memos and discovery). Many legal professionals use only a fraction of Word’s capabilities. With Copilot now part of the Word environment, there are better tools to help you improve drafting, editing and review of your legal documents.
The most effective approach is not to treat Copilot as a substitute for legal judgment but to pair it with strong Word skills and oversight. Here are three practical ways lawyers and paralegals can use Word and Copilot more effectively in daily practice.
1. Build better document structure before you bring in AI.
The first and most important step is mastering the Word features often used in legal documents. Legal documents are often long, structured documents with headings, numbering, comments and cross-references. Having a solid understanding of these fundamental tools will help you leverage AI tools in your work.
Heading styles make documents easier to navigate and reorganize through the Navigation pane (View | Navigation Pane). This is useful in lengthy motions, agreements and policy documents. Styles also help keep formatting consistent across documents, instead of relying on manual fixes. Track Changes, Compare and Find remain essential tools for any lawyer or paralegal working collaboratively. In short, Copilot works best when the underlying document is well organized.
2. Use Copilot to create first drafts and faster summaries.
Once the document itself is built on a solid foundation, Copilot can become a practical drafting assistant. The key here is the term assistant. Copilot in Word can be used as a tool for generating first drafts, rewriting text for clarity or tone and summarizing complex documents. The key is specificity. A strong prompt should identify the audience, purpose, tone and required points. For legal professionals, that can translate into drafting a client update from notes, turning bullet points into an internal case summary, preparing a checklist from a meeting or producing a quick overview of a long agreement or motion.
Summaries can also help lawyers and paralegals triage long materials more efficiently by surfacing the main themes before they do a closer review. Copilot does not replace close reading, of course. But it can help legal professionals get to the important parts faster.
3. Let Copilot assist with revision but keep legal judgment with the professional.
Revision is where many legal professionals may find the greatest day-to-day value. Copilot’s ability to rewrite text for clarity and tone can help when a draft is legally sound but dense. That can be useful when adapting material for the appropriate audience (e.g., rewriting so a fourth grader can understand it). For lawyers and paralegals, that makes Copilot helpful as a revision tool rather than an automatic author. It can help refine language, tighten paragraphs and reorganize text. Remember that every output should still be checked for accuracy. A polished sentence is not necessarily a correct one.
That’s why responsible use matters. It seems like every day lawyers are getting in trouble for using generative AI without proper oversight. Legal professionals should verify AI-generated text and confirm citations and authorities independently. Also, consider confidentiality obligations, client expectations, court rules and internal governance policies when using an AI tool like Copilot.
Taking the time to learn the tools you use most of the day is a worthwhile investment. Tools like Copilot can help accelerate your growth. Like Clippy, Copilot can help you learn how to better use Word, along with its generative and revision tools. Is it the best AI tool? Probably not, given the number of AI tools available now. But Copilot is built into Word, so it has that advantage over other tools that require copying and pasting or importing files.
Start with good document structure, use Copilot to speed up first drafts and summaries and use it to revise rather than replace judgment. Seek to balance the scale on both sides: the discipline of good Word habits and the efficiency of AI assistance.•
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Wilson is an attorney with Adler Attorneys in Noblesville. In addition to practicing law, he helps manage the day-to-day technology operations of the firm. He writes about legal technology at sethrwilson.com and is a frequent speaker on the subject.
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