Beyond the Desktop: Microsoft Copilot and Legal Drafting
Microsoft Word and Outlook have served as steadfast companions to professionals globally. However, a significant paradigm shift is underway, thanks to recent changes by Microsoft. In this detailed exploration, let's unravel the key components that are reshaping the legal tech landscape and delve into the transformative impact of Microsoft Copilot on legal professionals.
Microsoft's Evolution: From Office to M356 to Copilot
Microsoft's journey from Office to Microsoft 365 represents more than just a version update. It signifies a profound shift, introducing Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and device-agnostic features. As Microsoft rolls out new apps and features, it's essential to highlight the departure from VSTO or COM add-ins to the more versatile Office Add-ins.
At the forefront of this transformative journey is Microsoft Copilot, a versatile virtual assistant that transcends traditional functionalities. Leveraging AI across the Microsoft suite, Copilot streamlines tasks through natural language interaction. Its impact extends across various domains, proving particularly valuable for data analysis, email management, and collaborative work. Legal professionals can harness Copilot's capabilities in diverse contexts, from M&A deals to IP transactions and corporate finance.
Requirements for Microsoft Copilot Implementation
Before legal professionals embark on the journey of utilizing Microsoft Copilot, a comprehensive understanding of the requirements is crucial.
Enterprise Requirements:
- Microsoft Copilot Enterprise is priced at $30/month per user
Technical Requirements:
- Microsoft 365 (M365) E3 or E5 with M365 Apps for the Enterprise
- Deployment of the Copilot add-on
- Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory)
- A OneDrive account is needed to enable certain features
- New Outlook to enable Copilot’s capabilities and Classic Outlook for Windows (coming in February 2024)
Microsoft 365's Impact on Legal Work
The transformative power of Microsoft 365, driven by Copilot, goes beyond simple document summarization. It empowers legal professionals to engage in repetitive tasks faster and save more time. Legal professionals can strategically leverage Copilot in diverse scenarios:
- Create summaries of the state of the law
- Craft detailed document outlines
- Generate non-client, non-facts specific documents
- Provide a list of definitions, defined terms, and cross references from a document
- Summarize the difference between two paragraphs of text, and more
Curious to explore more? Download our eBook “Beyond the Desktop: A New Era in Legal Drafting Tools” to gain a deeper understanding of Microsoft's transformative changes, how Copilot is shaping the future of legal drafting, and how Litera can help. Then, watch our full on-demand webinar to hear from Litera experts about implementing Copilot and Litera’s next generation of drafting tools.
