From Googling to Grounded Clauses.
Legal Research
Typical SME legal counsel: CAD $200–$500+/hr. Canadian Lawyer — Legal Fees Survey (2023/2024)What changes if research takes seconds—and lawyers focus on judgment?
How do you handle legal questions today?
Time Allocation – Legal Work
Research
Strategy
Savings: $7,200/mo (75%)
Tradional
80% research / 20% strategy
Research billable: $9,600/mo
AI Native
20% research / 80% strategy
Research billable: $2,400/mo
Canada context: fractional counsel CAD 100–500+/hr; experienced 400–540/hr. Local (Chatham‑Kent) often CAD 200–350/hr. Subscriptions/retainers commonly CAD 1,000–3,000+/mo. For illustration only.
Traditional
- Research consumes costly billable time (CAD $200–$500+/hr). Canadian Lawyer — Legal Fees Survey (2023/2024)
- Generic templates + manual Googling increase risk of mismatched clauses.
- Decisions wait on memos; budgets tilt toward research over strategy.
AI Native
- Research in seconds with sources preserved → more budget for counsel judgment.
- Grounded prompts/templates tuned for Canadian context reduce rework.
- Faster cycles: decisions move with alignment instead of waiting for memos.
Use AI for the questions. Pay lawyers for the judgement that changes outcomes.
Stop funding billable Googling; spend on counsel that protects your upside.
Traditional (pre‑launch reality)
- • Retainer for “research”
- • Slow email threads
- • Mystery invoices
AI‑Native Way
- • Plain‑English briefs with citations in minutes
- • Lawyer time only for review, risk calls, negotiation
You’re about to sign your first supplier agreement. Instead of paying 3 hours to “look into it,” you generate a cited summary and checklist in 5 minutes—then buy 30 minutes of a lawyer’s judgment on the two clauses that actually matter.
Search & Summarize
AI handles
Interpret & Advise
Lawyer handles
Negotiate & Draft
Lawyer leads (AI preps)
Shift budget from “find” to “decide”.
- • Cash: Spend less on discovery, more on decisions.
- • Speed: Same‑day clarity beats week‑long back‑and‑forth.
- • Confidence: Walk into consults knowing what to ask—and why.
Pre‑launch starter pack
- ✅ First contract explainer: scope, payment, termination, IP, liability
- ✅ Basic privacy & data notes (what you collect, where it lives)
- ✅ “What could go wrong?” risks list with red/yellow/green tags
Run this with AI first, then book a 30‑minute legal review.
What’s the first thing you’ll need reviewed?