The problem
Employer clients ask for new or updated policies, and each begins as a blank page or an old precedent. If you draft 8 a month and each first draft takes 90 minutes, that's 720 minutes, 12 hours a month.
What the AI does
You give ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini your own firm precedent text, with no client names, and ask for a first draft tailored to a described type of business (for example: a 15-person care provider with a hybrid office team). You compare the draft with current legislation and your precedent, correct it, and add the client details in your own system. A solicitor remains responsible for the advice and the final document.
A worked example
An employment firm in Leeds drafts about 8 policies and handbook sections a month for employer clients. A solicitor uses an assistant for the first pass from the firm's precedents and then checks each against current legislation.
Before
90 minutes for each first draft: 12 hours a month
After
About 50 minutes to prompt and check each: 6.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About 5.3 hours a month saved (40 minutes x 8 policies = 320 minutes), worth around £373 if solicitor time is worth £70 an hour. Plans run from free to about £20 a month for one person.
How to set it up
- Collect your firm's best precedents and write a standing instruction: UK employment law, plain English, flag assumptions.
- Describe the client in general terms only: size, sector, working pattern. No names.
- Ask for a draft and a list of points the solicitor must confirm.
- Check each clause against current legislation and case law, because the law has been changing.
- Add the client's details in your document system and send it under your normal sign-off.
What goes wrong
- An assistant can cite law that has been repealed or amended. A policy based on it can leave your client exposed, so check against current legislation.
- Do not paste the client's existing contracts or staff data. Consumer plans are not suitable for confidential material.
- A draft policy is advice to the client. A solicitor must review and own it.
- Policies that look polished but do not fit the client's real working practice cause trouble later; ask the client how they work.