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This article applies to:

  • Product: CoCounsel
  • Audiences: Legal professionals

How CoCounsel works

We call CoCounsel an AI legal assistant because it:
  • Focuses on your information,
  • Does what you ask, and
  • Shows its work.
To work with CoCounsel you'll do 2 things:
  1. Identify a source of information, and
  2. Request assistance by giving instructions.
CoCounsel uses this information to understand your intent and identify which of its capabilities to use. We call these capabilities "skills" and each skill uses a different combination of instructions and sources of information.
Below, we'll consider the categories of skills, the sources of information that each skill uses, the instructions that each skill can receive, the responses each skill can provide, how each skill's results can be exported, and how skills and instructions work together.

Skill categories

CoCounsel has the following categories of skills:
  • Research
    skills answer a single question across a large dataset.
  • Review
    skills read files word-for-word to find user-specified content.
  • Summarize
    skills read files word-for-word to provide fixed answers.
  • Draft
    skills use a description to create user-specified content.
Skill categories
Skill
Research
Review
Summarize
Draft
AI-Assisted Research
Yes
No
No
No
Ask Practical Law AI
Yes
No
No
No
Search a Database
Yes
No
No
No
Review Documents
No
Yes
No
No
Extract Contract Data
No
Yes
No
No
Contract Policy Compliance
No
Yes
No
No
Summarize
No
No
Yes
No
Timeline
No
No
Yes
No
Draft Correspondence
No
No
No
Yes
Prepare for a Deposition
No
No
No
Yes

Skill sources of information

CoCounsel uses the following sources of information.
  • Westlaw Precision's database of legal content
    .
  • Practical Law's database of practical guidance
    .
  • Database of your files
    .
  • Files in the chat
    from your device, from recent files, or from a database.
  • Your descriptions
    .
Skill sources of information
Skill
Westlaw Precision
Practical Law
Database of your files
Files in the chat
Your descriptions
AI-Assisted Research
Yes
No
No
No
No
Ask Practical Law AI
No
Yes
No
No
No
Search a Database
No
No
Yes
No
No
Review Documents
No
No
No
Yes
No
Extract Contract Data
No
No
No
Yes
No
Contract Policy Compliance
No
No
No
Yes
No
Summarize
No
No
No
Yes
No
Timeline
No
No
No
Yes
No
Draft Correspondence
No
No
No
No
Yes
Prepare for a Deposition
No
No
No
No
Yes

Skill instructions

CoCounsel can receive the following instructions:
  • A
    Research Request
     is a single question that is answered by searching an entire database of information.
  • Questions and Policies
    are used to identify relevant content while working with file-based skills with focus.
  • Other Requests and Choices
    are used to describe how the task should be completed.
Skill instructions
Skill
Research Request
Questions and Policies
Other Requests and Choices
AI-Assisted Research
Yes
No
No
Ask Practical Law AI
Yes
No
No
Search a Database
Yes
No
No
Review Documents
No
Yes
No
Extract Contract Data
No
Yes
No
Contract Policy Compliance
No
Yes
No
Draft Correspondence
No
No
Describe the deposition
Prepare for a Deposition
No
No
Describe the correspondence
Summarize
No
No
Select a summary length
Timeline
No
No
None

Skill responses

CoCounsel provides the following responses:
  • A
    Memo
    is a narrative answer to a research question with a list of sources.
  • An
    Answer Table
    provides a response for every question for every file.
  • Other Responses
    are provided for particular skills.
Skill responses
Skill
Memo
Answer Table
Other Responses
AI-Assisted Research
Yes
No
No
Ask Practical Law AI
Yes
No
No
Search a Database
Yes
No
No
Review Documents
No
Yes
No
Extract Contract Data
No
Yes
No
Contract Policy Compliance
No
No
Analysis of relevant terms with redlines
Draft Correspondence
No
No
Draft of letter, email, and memo for example
Prepare for a Deposition
No
No
Draft of relevant topics and questions
Summarize
No
No
Various summary lengths
Timeline
No
No
List of identified events

Skill export options

CoCounsel skill results can be exported in various formats:
  • Word Documents
    .
  • The
    Copy
    option allows you to copy the results to paste somewhere else.
  • Excel Spreadsheets
    .
  • Use
    Download Redlined Docs
    to download the original .docx file with CoCounsel's suggested redlines as tracked changes, and with CoCounsel's differences analysis as a comment that explains why the change should be made.
  • Other
    export options are available for particular skills.
Skill export options
Skill
Word Document
Copy
Excel Spreadsheet
Download Redlined Docs
Other
AI-Assisted Research
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Ask Practical Law AI
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Search a Database
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Prepare for a Deposition
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Draft Correspondence
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Summarize
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Contract Policy Compliance
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Review Documents
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Extract Contract Data
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Timeline
Yes
No
Yes
No
Download select events to CSV or Excel, or print them
note
For the Review Documents and Extract Contract Data skills, there are 2 download options:
With Explanations and Sources
 or
Short Answers Only
.

How skills, sources of information, and instructions work together

You may begin your work with CoCounsel by selecting a skill or a source of information, or by giving CoCounsel an instruction.
Select a skill first
If you select a skill first, CoCounsel will ask for the additional information it needs to begin its work. For example, when you select the "Summarize" skill, CoCounsel will ask you to upload files to the chat.
Select a source of information first
If you select a source of information first, CoCounsel will expect additional instructions so it knows how to help. For example, if you select a database, CoCounsel will expect you to explain the query it should use to search the database. Or, if you upload files to the chat, CoCounsel will expect you to provide additional instructions, like "I need a summary," or "please review these files to tell me if [insert questions]."
Give CoCounsel an instruction first
If you give CoCounsel an instruction first, CoCounsel will provide next steps. Clearer instructions lead to clearer next steps. For example, if you indicate "I need to summarize some files," then CoCounsel will ask you to upload the files. Once the files are uploaded, CoCounsel will ask you to confirm the length of the summary. But if you indicate "I need a comprehensive summary," CoCounsel will preselect that length.

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