1. Choose a task with a clear finish
Start with a subpoenaed-record summary, medical index, physician comparison, or verified response to a client question. Name the deliverable, its reviewer, and the source files. Choose a representative mix: ordinary files, difficult scans, duplicates, and conflicting reports.
If large extracts are the bottleneck, include a file at the size your team actually handles. Confirm technical limits first. A demonstration on a short, clean file does not establish performance on a large intake.
2. Measure the entire task
Record the current workflow before introducing the pilot. Apply the same quality threshold to both approaches and separate attorney time from paralegal and operations time.
Agree in advance how to count missing events, incorrect citations, duplicate mistakes, and repeated corrections. Include reviewer time even when the first draft arrives quickly.
3. Test the economics by fee arrangement
For hourly matters, fewer hours can mean lower revenue. Estimate the contribution from additional work the team can actually accept, using realistic demand, collected rates, and staffing constraints. Recovered time alone is not cash savings.
For flat-fee or capped matters, compare the cost to complete work to the same review standard. Include ongoing work after a fee or cap is exhausted. In every model, deduct software, implementation, overlapping contracts, training, and remaining review effort. Avoid counting the same recovered hour as both payroll savings and new case capacity.
4. Resolve system fit before transferring files
Map the current source of truth and the proposed handoff: document access, case identifiers, approved outputs, time entries, and export. Verify any connector on a test matter. Count manual steps and define what happens if a transfer fails.
Document retention, deletion, ownership, model-training use, subprocessors, access controls, and client AI-use requirements belong in the review. Obtain written answers and firm approval before using client records. Identify which permissions and exports must be demonstrated; do not treat a planned integration as a working one.
5. Put the budget and decision in writing
Name the firm sponsor, day-to-day owner, attorney reviewer, and technical contact. Agree on duration, file volume, included support, setup fees, recurring charges, usage limits, and what requires additional approval. Write down the maximum pilot spend and the proposed cost after the pilot.
At the end, compare results with the agreed baseline. Expand only if quality, total effort, system fit, and economics meet the firm’s thresholds. Otherwise adjust the scope or stop. A successful document workflow does not by itself justify replacing billing or case management; those need separate acceptance criteria.
Give every partner the same brief
Use the one-pager to record the decision before the pilot starts. It is a planning template, not a price quote or a promise of product capabilities.
Download the pilot one-pager (PDF) ↓