The problem
Employee-side settlement agreement advice is usually a fixed fee paid largely by the employer, so every extra minute comes out of the firm's margin. If two solicitors advise on 30 agreements a month and checking each against the firm's checklist takes 45 minutes, that's 1,350 minutes, 22.5 hours a month.
What the AI does
Gavel Exec is an AI add-in for Microsoft Word that reviews and redlines agreements and runs playbooks. You load the firm's settlement agreement checklist (the claims being waived, the payment and its tax treatment, confidentiality, references, repayment clauses) as a playbook, and Gavel Exec flags points and suggests changes. The solicitor checks each point, confirms with the client which claims are being waived, and gives the advice themselves before signing the adviser's certificate.
A worked example
A two-solicitor employment firm in Nottingham advises about 30 employees a month on settlement agreements. Both use Gavel Exec for a first pass against the firm's playbook, then go through the agreement with the client.
Before
45 minutes to check each agreement against the checklist: 22.5 hours a month
After
About 30 minutes with a playbook mark-up to work through: 15 hours a month
What it's worth
About $698£525€625A$1,008C$987 a month of solicitor time, if it is worth $93£70€83A$134C$132 an hour: 15 minutes saved on each of 30 agreements is 450 minutes, 7.5 hours. Gavel Exec is $160 (about $160£120€143A$230C$226) a user a month, or $1,740 a user a year (about $145£109€130A$209C$205 a month), so $290£218€259A$419C$410 to $319£240€286A$461C$451 for two solicitors. On fixed fees the saving is margin.
How to set it up
- Turn your settlement agreement checklist into a Gavel playbook, with your preferred wording for references and confidentiality.
- Test it in the free trial on agreements you have already advised on, and compare its flags with your own notes.
- Agree hosting and data processing terms with Gavel, and get your COLP's approval before using client agreements.
- Go through every clause with the client, flagged or not, and confirm the facts behind each claim being waived.
- Sign the adviser's certificate only after you have given the advice yourself.
What goes wrong
- A playbook only checks what you told it to. A claim the client hasn't mentioned, such as a personal injury or pension issue, needs the solicitor's questions, not software.
- Gavel is US-built and stores data in the United States by default, with EU hosting offered. Agreements contain health and pay details, so settle hosting first under UK GDPR.
- Gavel's market benchmarks may not reflect UK settlement practice. Rely on your own playbook.
- Pricing is per user and in dollars: each extra solicitor adds about $145£109€130A$209C$205 to $160£120€143A$230C$226 a month, moving with the exchange rate.