Start with intake preparation

If this is your first legal workflow, do not begin with legal research, filing or client advice. Start with an intake that a lawyer has already decided the firm may review.

The Bot's job is to turn the intake into a complete review packet. It can extract names, matter type, jurisdiction, dates and missing fields. A lawyer still decides whether the enquiry proceeds and whether a conflict exists.

What you need before setup

The approved intake form and required fields
The firm's practice-area routing rules
A matter-opening checklist and naming convention
The exact folder or system the Bot may read
A dedicated user with limited permissions
A lawyer who reviews the output and owns every client communication
A written decision covering confidentiality, retention and permitted data

Do the first test with fictional or non-confidential information. Connect real client records only after the firm has approved the data boundary.

Define the first output

Use one fixed review packet:

Field	What the Bot returns
People and organisations	Names exactly as supplied, plus spelling variants for conflict preparation
Matter	Requested service, practice area and jurisdiction
Dates	Every date stated in the intake, with its source
Missing information	Required fields that were not provided
Documents	Files supplied and files still requested
Next step	The firm's approved checklist step, not legal advice
Source	A link or reference to every intake answer and document used

Copy this first-task instruction

Prepare an intake review packet from the approved intake form and supplied documents. Extract names, organisations, spelling variants, requested service, jurisdiction and every stated date. List missing required fields and missing documents. Link every item to its source. Do not decide conflicts, accept the matter, give legal advice, calculate a deadline, contact the prospect or create a live matter. If information is uncertain, quote the source and mark it for lawyer review. Stop after producing the packet.

Test it before connecting your systems

Run three test intakes:

A complete intake with all required fields.
An intake with missing names, dates or documents.
An ambiguous intake that could fit more than one practice area.

The Bot should not fill a gap by guessing. It should identify the missing field, show the source and route the ambiguity to the lawyer.

Connect the practice-management system

After the test passes, create a dedicated system user with the narrowest role that can prepare the record. Limit it to the approved matters or intake queue.

Clio describes a matter as the record connecting contacts, documents, tasks and calendar activity. Its Manage API and scoped permissions can support controlled preparation. Signed webhooks can trigger the workflow when an approved record changes.

Do not give the Bot authority to open a live matter, change access rights or contact a client during the first workflow.

Divide Bot work from lawyer work

Stage	Grok Bot prepares	A lawyer decides
Intake	Fields, missing information and routing suggestion	Whether the enquiry should proceed
Conflict preparation	Names and spelling variants	The conflict search and decision
Matter preparation	Draft fields, checklist and document request list	Matter creation and access rights
Status update	Summary of approved records and open tasks	Legal meaning and client communication

Work that stays with a lawyer

Conflict clearance, legal conclusions, filing, privilege decisions, deadline changes, final document review and client advice should never run unattended.

The ABA's Formal Opinion 512 addresses competence, confidentiality, communication and supervision when lawyers use generative AI. The firm also has to follow its own jurisdiction and client obligations.

Make the data decision before client use

Write down what the Bot may read, where its output is stored and which model features are permitted. xAI states that standard API requests and responses are retained for a limited abuse-auditing period. Eligible Zero Data Retention configurations remove some stateful file features. The firm must choose the configuration before client data enters the workflow.

How to tell whether the workflow is useful

For two weeks, record:

time from intake to a complete review packet;
number of missing fields caught before matter opening;
corrections a lawyer makes to the prepared packet;
time required to prepare an internal status update.

The Bot should reduce preparation time without making a legal decision.

To scope the accounts, approvals and data boundary, build your team.