Robert Ambrogi Blog
Henchman, a legal tech startup that provides legal teams with quick access to their previously written contract clauses and definitions directly within Microsoft Word, today released what it says is a first-of-its-kind integration with Microsoft Copilot through which Copilot users will be able to surface clauses and precedents from their document management systems that had been processed by Henchman.
“This pioneering collaboration empowers legal professionals to harness the power of collective knowledge stored in their document management system, streamline drafting processes, and enhance efficiency like never before, all while securely leveraging AI and benefiting from the best security protocols available from Microsoft,” the Belgium-based company said in announcing the integration.
For Henchman customers, the integration means that when they look for answers through Microsoft Copilot, it will be able to deliver suggestions that come directly from the customer’s DMS, such as iManage, NetDocuments or SharePoint.
“Leveraging advanced algorithms and metadata, this synergy facilitates more accurate answers and boosts drafting efficiency, all while tapping into a legal team’s wealth of collective knowledge,” the company says.
Henchman — which recently was one of the 15 companies that presented at the ABA Techshow Startup Alley that I organize — said that the benefits of this integration include enabling users to:
- Quickly surface clauses and definitions stored in their DMS, along with their contextual data, when prompting in Microsoft Copilot.
- Easily determine the best precedent for the negotiation with quick access to the source document.
It also enables knowledge managers to ensure that the right practice groups have access to the right sources, with the help of mirrored user permissions from the DMS.
The integration is currently available via early access for early adopters of Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft Teams. As Microsoft gradually rolls out Copilot across its suite of products, Henchman says it will follow the same rollout cadence. The integration is available free of charge to all Henchman customers.
“At Henchman, we are dedicated to augmenting the way legal professionals work, wherever they work,” said Jorn Vanysacker, co-founder at Henchman. “Our integration with Microsoft Copilot represents a significant milestone in our journey to empower legal teams with the tools they need, whenever they need them, so they can thrive and become more efficient in their daily workflow.”