Best Practices and Usage Guidebook

1. Introduction and Core Concepts

Wisanna is an AI colleague for legal work. It understands, reviews, and creates documents; highlights risks; grounds arguments with sources; drafts opinions; and supports legal strategy. Use it to make routine work faster and complex work more thorough.

1.1. What Wisanna Does and When to Use It

• Accelerate drafting: clauses, agreements, pleadings, emails, and summaries.
• Review and refactor: identify gaps, inconsistencies, and operational misalignments.
• Research with citations: compile authorities, check status, and extract principles.
• Build strategies: risk maps, negotiation briefs, evidence plans, and timelines.

Use Wisanna when:

• You need a first draft or a structured revision within minutes.
• You want a risk‑oriented second opinion on a document.
• You must quickly aggregate and compare authorities.
• You need structured outputs: clause packs, checklists, timelines, or matrixes.

1.2. Web Platform vs. Word Add‑in: Choosing the Right Tool

• Web Platform (legal.wisanna.com): Best for research, brainstorming, strategy, and generating new drafts. Export to Word via the Word icon at the bottom of responses.
• Word Add‑in (installation and guide): Best for in‑document analysis, structured reviews, party‑specific perspectives, and applying amendments directly to your file with tracked changes.

1.3. Organizing Work with Projects and Versioning

• Create a project per matter or client. Name consistently: Client – Matter – Phase (e.g., "Acme – Supply Agreement – Negotiation v2").
• Store chats, research, and drafts under the same project to keep context coherent.
• Export to Word, then continue iterative edits within Word using the add‑in.

2. Working Principles and Best Practices

2.1. Context, Constraints, and Style Guides

Provide enough context to get precise outputs:

• Parties, roles, and objectives (seller vs. distributor; landlord vs. tenant).
• Operational constraints (SLAs, ordering workflow, stock thresholds).
• Definitions, cross‑references, and drafting conventions (e.g., "Confidential Information" excludes independently developed material).

2.2. Evidence‑First Drafting and Citations

• For any research or opinion, instruct: "Cite primary sources where available; include status of cases; provide links where possible."
• Ask for both majority and minority views and practical implications.
• Where law varies, ask for variables and decision trees, not just conclusions.

2.3. Iterative Workflows and Review Loops

• Start broad for structure; then iterate for depth, examples, and alternatives.
• Use "spotlight" passes: one pass for definitions, one for remedies, one for termination, etc.
• When facts are uncertain, request assumptions to be listed explicitly and keep an "Open Items" section.

2.4. Numbering, Definitions, and Consistency

• Keep numbering coherent; ask Wisanna to harmonize clause references and lists.
• Force consistent terminology; if multiple variants exist, choose one and remap.
• Validate the definitions chapter against body usage to avoid undefined terms.

3. Common Workflows and Playbooks

3.1. Contract Creation and Clause Engineering

Use‑cases:

• Draft new agreements (NDA, services, distribution, OEM, loan).
• Engineer clauses: confidentiality, IP ownership, exclusivity, liability caps, force majeure, data minimization.
• Pricing methods and cost allocation clauses; clean margin definitions; indirect cost keys.

Best practices:

• Provide deal context, risk tolerance, and negotiation objectives.
• Request 2–3 alternative phrasings (conservative/balanced/ambitious).
• Ask for redlined vs. clean versions and a short rationale for each change.

Outputs: Clause suite with harmonized terminology, Numbering aligned to your style, Short commentary on trade‑offs.

Value: Faster drafting cycles, fewer ambiguities, clearer obligations, and fewer negotiation loops.

3.2. Contract Review, Risk Mapping, and Negotiation Prep

Use‑cases:

• Review counterparty drafts for red flags, missing operational workflows, and risk allocation gaps.
• Build a negotiation brief: must‑haves, nice‑to‑haves, and fallback positions.
• Construct a clause‑by‑clause matrix with proposed edits and talking points.

Best practices:

• Set "Side: my client is the supplier/buyer/tenant/landlord," so the review aligns with your position.
• Ask for a risk matrix (high/medium/low), rationales, and suggested language.
• Request an "Amendment Insertion Map" with exact placement points.

Outputs: Redlined draft + clean version, Risk memo and negotiation plan.

Value: Focused negotiation, reduced blind spots, faster time to signature.

3.3. Legal Research and Authority Tracking

Use‑cases: Targeted research with sources, Caselaw updates, Comparative standards.

Best practices: Specify jurisdiction(s), ask for "pinpoints" and negative treatments, include executive summary.

Value: Authoritative answers faster; reduced research time and rework.

3.4. Litigation Drafting, Evidence, and Strategy

Use‑cases: Pleadings, motions, evidence notices, strategy outlines.

Best practices: Provide procedural posture and key facts. Request sections in order: relief, facts, grounds, evidence. Ask for templates.

Outputs: Filing‑ready drafts, Evidence checklists.

Value: Stronger, more structured submissions.

3.5. Governance, Resolutions, and Company Records

Use‑cases: Shareholder/board resolutions, article updates, related‑party mapping.

Best practices: Provide decision purpose and required approvals. Request minutes and resolution versions.

Value: Clean corporate records and efficient governance.

3.6. Regulatory and Compliance Responses

Use‑cases: Formal inquiries, incident assessments, compliance clauses.

Best practices: Ask for statutory themes and regulator expectations. Request decision trees.

Value: Reduced enforcement risk and faster resolution.

3.7. Client/Counterparty Communications and Templates

Use‑cases: Polished emails, term sheets, stakeholder Q&A.

Best practices: Specify tone (formal/cooperative/firm). Ask for summary + detailed body.

Value: Consistent professional communication.

3.8. Translation and Terminology Normalization

Use‑cases: Translate content, normalize terminology.

Best practices: Provide mini‑glossary. Request "change log" of choices.

Value: Fewer misinterpretations and filing‑grade texts.

4. Word Add‑in: Deep Dive

4.1. Setting Document Context and Legal Guidelines

Use the add‑in to declare parties, governing objectives, negotiation posture, and legal guardrails (e.g., "flag any deviation from mutually agreed definitions").

4.2. Document Overview and Key Facts Extraction

Generate a summary, list parties/dates, extract key definitions and deadlines. Assess "what's missing" and undefined terms.

4.3. Side Selection and Perspective‑Based Review

Select your client's side so recommendations align with your interests. Request "counter‑arguments" to anticipate the other side's positions.

4.4. Risk Assessment and Recommendations

Ask for a risk matrix with rationales and concrete clause language to mitigate. Request operational checks (ordering process, SLAs, delivery, etc.).

4.5. AI Amendments and Applying Changes Safely

Use AI Amendments to produce a redline. Review each change and accept selectively. Ask for an "Amendment Insertion Map" for manual edits when needed.

4.6. Quality Gates: Redlines, Versioning, and Hand‑Off

Keep a "Review Notes" section. Export a clean version and maintain a redlined version. Record open items.

5. Web Platform: Deep Dive

5.1. Chat and Drafting

Use conversational prompts for research, strategy, and content generation. Ask for structured outputs: headings, bullet points, and action lists.

5.2. Export to Word and Formatting Fidelity

Click the Word icon at the bottom of responses to export as a Word document. Continue with the Word add‑in for in‑document analysis.

5.3. Managing Projects

Group related chats and drafts by project. Use consistent naming conventions.

5.4. Language Settings and Multilingual Workflows

Switch the interface language as needed. For documents, specify the drafting language in your prompt.

6. Prompt Patterns and Reusable Templates

7. Deliverables Library (Examples)

7.1. Clause Suites and Numbering Packs

• Confidentiality with compulsory disclosure, residual knowledge, and non‑use.
• IP ownership and licensing (deliverables vs. background IP).
• Exclusivity and non‑circumvention with carve‑outs and oversight mechanisms.
• Liability caps, exclusions, and cumulative remedies.

7.2. Research Memos and Caselaw Digests

• Standards for liquidated damages and proportionality.
• Tests for mistake/misrepresentation in contract formation.
• Arbitration scope and appointment mechanics.
• Evidence preservation and spoliation implications.

7.3. Checklists, Timelines, and Process Maps

• Order‑to‑cash workflow (order content, acceptance, delivery, returns).
• Incident response and notification decision matrix (data/security).
• Corporate decisions: resolutions, filings, and approvals map.

7.4. Letters, Notices, and Emails

• Authority inquiry letters (basis, competence, access to documents).
• Preservation notices to private entities (e.g., CCTV/data).
• Client‑facing onboarding steps for entity formation.

7.5. Redlines and Amendment Maps

• Clause‑by‑clause redlines with insertion maps.
• Executive summaries highlighting key shifts and trade‑offs.

8. Verification, Accuracy, and Risk Management

8.1. Cite‑Checking and Source Validation

• Always verify quotations and pinpoints against primary sources.
• Ask Wisanna to provide status of authorities and highlight contrary views.
• Keep a "Citations Verification Log".

8.2. Consistency and Definitions Audits

• Run a pass to list all defined terms and where they are used.
• Check cross‑references and numbering. Normalize repeated provisions.

8.3. Assumptions Logs and Open Items

• Require Wisanna to list assumptions and unknowns in each output.
• Maintain an "Open Items" section with owners and due dates.

8.4. Confidentiality and Data‑Handling Practices

• Remove or anonymize personal data not needed.
• Use project controls. Store exports in secured locations.

9. Measuring Value and Driving Adoption

9.1. Time Savings, Error Reduction, and Coverage

• Track baseline vs. with‑Wisanna time per task.
• Monitor reduction in negotiation loops. Aim for broader issue coverage.
• Typical outcomes: 40–70% faster drafting/review; 30–40% fewer overlooked issues.

9.2. Role‑Specific Usage Patterns

• Attorneys: strategy, redlines, argument banks, bespoke clauses.
• Paralegals: document overviews, extraction, checklists, filing packs.
• In‑house: volume review, playbooks, standardized emails, compliance matrices.

9.3. Review Cadence, QA, and Continuous Improvement

• Define a review cadence (peer review).
• Keep a team glossary and clause bank. Capture prompt templates.

10. Troubleshooting and Limits

10.1. When Not to Use AI or When to Narrow Scope

• Highly novel or fact‑dense issues with significant legal exposure may warrant primary drafting by counsel with Wisanna as a checker only.
• If the question is unclear, narrow scope and list assumptions.

10.2. Handling Ambiguity and Missing Facts

• Ask for a fact‑gap list.
• Request scenarios and alternative positions to cover uncertainty.

11. Appendix