CoCounsel can draft correspondence and help you prepare for a deposition.

A. How the AI works

Each drafting request works a little bit differently.

1. Draft Correspondence

Generally, drafting correspondence follows these steps.

You request a letter or email, and describe the recipient, tone, and content.
CoCounsel writes the correspondence, and includes relevant reminders (e.g., no access to legal citations, make sure to verify all statements)
You may export the results as a Word Document or copy the results to paste somewhere else.

2. Prepare for a deposition

CoCounsel can identify topics and questions to use at an upcoming deposition. Generally, preparing for a deposition follows these steps.

You request assistance preparing for a deposition, and describe the witness, identify who you’re representing, outline the factual circumstances, areas of interest, and any other relevant information.
CoCounsel suggests 5 topics and 5 questions for each topic.
You may refine the results.
You may export the results as a Word Document or copy the results to paste somewhere else.

B. Getting Started

There are a few ways to get started.

1. Just ask

The easiest way to draft with CoCounsel is to just ask. Use normal sentences like you would to a colleague. CoCounsel will then tell you what it needs.

2. Select examples

CoCounsel always reminds you of the categories of tasks it can complete. Select “Draft.” As you chat, CoCounsel will suggest specific example tasks based on your request.

C. Request a draft

1. Write clearly

Write clear requests.

Use direct, active voice

Yes: Where the court sided with the defense.

No: Where the defense was sided with by the court.

Use concise, simple wording

Yes: Cases with a minor plaintiff under the age of 14.

No: Cases where there was a minor who was the plaintiff, and who was also under the age of 14 at the time of the alleged events that the court was considering.

Be specific

Yes: What were the elements of the court’s reasoning in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)?

No: What was the Planned Parenthood case about?

2. Include correspondence tone

Tone can give the same content a new meaning, but it is also always approximate because everyone interprets tone differently. Generally, CoCounsel’s responses will follow these descriptions.

Adversarial	Formal	Neutral
A direct tone with no polite niceties.	A respectful, non-hostile tone.	A broad category somewhere between respectful and friendly.
This may be appropriate for correspondence with opposing counsel.	This may be appropriate for correspondence with a judge or a new client.	This may be appropriate to request information from a 3rd party, like accountants or forensic labs.

3. Ask for an interpretation and filters

Request an interpretation to ensure CoCounsel has understood your request, including filters that CoCounsel will use during research.

D. Limitations

1. No access to legal sources

CoCounsel does not access legal sources to draft correspondence or to prepare for depositions. For relevant requests and refinements, CoCounsel will provide a short reminder. CoCounsel will provide a reminder when it cannot fulfill a request.

2. Account details

CoCounsel cannot use the name, email, or position fields from a Casetext account profile to draft correspondence. As a result, CoCounsel cannot comply with instructions that rely on this information.

Not possible: Add my position and email address to the signature of this email

Not possible: Include my first and last names in the letterhead

3. Input and output limits

Chats with CoCounsel are generally limited by a number of tokens and the context window. Learn more.

Requests and refinements

1,000 tokens, or about 750 words

Responses from CoCounsel

2,500 tokens, or about 1,875 words

CoCounsel will provide reminders about its capabilities and limitations.

E. Samples

It is impossible to list all of CoCounsel's capabilities, but please use these samples to consider how CoCounsel will help with your work.

1. Requests

Prepare for a deposition

Please suggest some topics and questions for this upcoming deposition: I represent the plaintiff who is the wife in a divorce case and the deponent is the husband who is a self employed general contractor and my client believes the husband is hiding assets. We are trying to find out where he might be hiding money, or other assets.

Prepare for other investigative situations

CoCounsel can use its deposition preparation capabilities to assist with other situations where you need help identifying topics and questions. For example, an employment investigation.

Please use your prepare for a deposition capabilities to help me prepare for an investigation. The interviewees are employees in a department where a supervisor has been credibly accused of discriminatory behavior. I need to identify topics and questions that show concern and compassion, because they might also be victims, but that also uncover key details that could help the company care for the employees, hold the supervisor accountable, and mitigate the business's liability.

Basic correspondence

Draft a letter to opposing counsel on the issue of the client’s failure to return a minor child pursuant to court-ordered timeshare schedule.

Cease and desist

Draft a cease and desist letter to tell the presidential candidate Ross Perot to immediately stop using the singer Miley Cyrus's song Party in the USA.

Deadline Extension

I am taking over as defense counsel and the parties are now working towards a settlement. Mediation is scheduled with Mary P. for Oct 11. We want the discovery deadline pushed to 30 days after the order, and the order deadline also pushed by 30 days so that we can settle before trial.

Demand

Write a demand letter to Mr. Smith saying that I represent Synergy Foods. My client has learned that his client Katie Martin has disseminated trade secrets to a competitor in violation of her NDA. We want her to pay $5K and agree to a court order enjoining her from future violations.

Engagement

Write a short, neutral email to Aunt Ginny Miller confirming that I will represent her in the criminal matter discussed during our initial intake meeting on September 30. Note that the full engagement letter is attached, that it is a binding contract, and that she should review it very closely. Please also confirm that I looked into her question about my age (whether I am too young to serve as counsel), and that it should not be an issue, especially since Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway will serve as co-counsel.

Non Engagement

Draft a letter of non engagement to my prospective client letting them know that I cannot represent them because there is a conflict of interest: I cannot help someone file claims against an organization where I serve on the board.

Preservation

My client was injured when she fell on water next to an ice bin at a grocery store. There was no signage providing any warnings. She suffered a broken ankle. Write a letter to the company advising them that we are investigating the claim and they should preserve any and all evidence related to the claim for possible future litigation.

Request to meet and confer

Draft a meet and confer letter to opposing counsel who is late in producing documents during discovery. Request that she produce the previously-requested documents in a timely manner according to California’s discovery laws.

Security incident notice

Prepare an email template that my client corporation can send to each of its customers explaining that a recent data security incident was not a breach, that a full investigation is underway, and that more information will be shared asap. Specifically confirm that no unauthorized access has been identified yet.

2. Refine results

After reviewing CoCounsel’s response, continue chatting with CoCounsel to refine the results.

Prepare for the other side of the deposition

You may want to have CoCounsel help you understand how opposing counsel is preparing the deponent.

Now how would someone who has something to hide try to evade each of these questions?

Can you restate each question and then provide a probable evasive answer for that question?

Prepare for likely deposition responses

For each question, list 2-3 emotions that might be evoked by that question.

Revise the length

Shorten the entire email to 2 paragraphs

Expand the 3rd paragraph to include specific examples of the event introduced in the first sentence of that paragraph.

Add recipient and signatory details

Replace [Your Name] with “Daniel Kaffee” and [Your Contact Information] with “Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Point Mugu, California, USA”

Change the tone

Make the tone of the letter friendly, but not unprofessional

Make the tone more terse and direct, with no niceties

Change the type

Convert this email to a letter

Add or remove details

Remove paragraph 3.

Summarize all of the current paragraph 2 in 3 bullets, then replace current paragraph 2 with those bullets.

To support the point made in paragraph 1, please cite to “Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)”

Generally, please make the tone more formal and cut the length in half; Specifically, remove paragraph 2 and revise current paragraph 3 to emphasize that our reasoning is supported by precedent