How can law firms use Copilot for Legal with case documents stored in SharePoint?

What can Copilot for Legal help a law firm do?

Microsoft’s October 15 announcement describes legal capabilities in Word and Cowork. They include work on agreements, matter information, and related files. Microsoft’s announcement explains the scope.

Choose one clear job first. “Explain the payment clause in this agreement” is easier to check than “Handle this whole case.”

What do we need before starting?

The legal capabilities described here require an eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot commercial license. A Microsoft 365 subscription or a Copilot feature elsewhere does not, by itself, prove that this experience is available. Check the signed-in work account and the firm’s settings.

Microsoft documents the legal plugin as enabled by default in Word desktop for commercial Copilot subscribers. Administrators can control access through the policy named Legal Skills in M365 Copilot in Word.

Cowork uses a separate Legal for Cowork plugin and separate administrator controls. See Microsoft’s access-management guidance.

How do we start in Word?

1. Open the case document in Word desktop.
2. Open Copilot.
3. Ask a specific question about the document.
4. Review the answer and its supporting passages.

The legal skills can be selected automatically when Copilot recognizes legal work. This does not mean that opening a case in Trovve launches a Copilot chat.

For Cowork, Microsoft describes adding Legal for Cowork through Customize. Follow the current getting-started instructions for that experience.

Will a summary appear automatically?

An automatic Word summary is a separate feature from legal chat. Whether it appears depends on the license and organizational settings. Microsoft also documents conditions concerning file location and document length. A summary appearing does not prove a legal review has run.

See Microsoft’s explanation of automatic summaries.

What does a case-to-document-review workflow look like?

Start with a case, an owner, and a clear request. Here is one fictional example.

Maya Collins asks a small firm to review a draft service agreement. Jordan Lee is the paralegal preparing the documents. Sam Patel is the attorney responsible for reviewing the agreement.

Try it: Can you check the answer before finishing the task?

Choose the case documents, inspect a sample answer, and decide what the team should do next.

This is a fictional teaching exercise. It does not connect to Microsoft 365, run Copilot, or change real files or tasks.

How do we know which documents Copilot used?

Start with the intended document and add the relevant references. Keep a simple source list for the review: filename, case, and version.

Then check the source passages supporting the answer. A citation can help you locate evidence, but you still need to read it and decide whether it supports the claim.

Do not assume that putting ten documents in one case folder means every answer considered all ten. If completeness matters, make a list of the required files and check them against the work performed.

For a long agreement, use focused questions and inspect sections that matter to the request. Microsoft’s Copilot in Word FAQ discusses processing limits and reviewing generated content.

If a file is missing, resolve access or selection before relying on the answer. Do not replace a missing source with a confident guess.

How should we handle permissions and confidential case files?

Check SharePoint access before introducing AI into the workflow. Microsoft says commercial Copilot respects the user’s existing organizational permissions and that prompts, responses, and Microsoft Graph data are not used to train foundation models.

That makes existing permissions important. If a person has access that is too broad, merely putting files in separate case folders does not correct it. A prompt saying “Only use this case” is also not an access control.

For the example firm:

• Check the case folder using the actual staff account.
• Check sharing links and inherited access.
• Confirm that only the intended people can open sensitive files.
• Keep the selected review sources limited to the intended matter.

Microsoft’s data, privacy, and security guidance explains the commercial service. The firm’s own information-handling policies and professional responsibilities still apply.

Is a case template the same as a document template or legal playbook?

No. They solve different problems.

A case template can assign Sam to review an agreement. It does not tell him which clauses to accept.

A document template can supply starting language. It does not prove that a different agreement follows the firm’s review rules.

A playbook provides review guidance. Microsoft’s Copilot for Legal documentation describes structured playbook reviews and limitations of the generated results.

Common questions

Can we use Copilot without Trovve?

Yes. Microsoft provides Copilot independently. This example shows how a firm can organize the case and responsibilities in Trovve while keeping its documents in SharePoint.

Does saving a file in SharePoint make it available to everyone?

No. Access depends on SharePoint permissions and sharing. A folder name is not a security setting.

Can Copilot see Trovve’s tasks and assignments automatically?

Do not assume that. This guide uses SharePoint documents as the common file location. It does not demonstrate an integration that exposes Trovve’s task data to Copilot.

Can Copilot help beyond the open Word document?

Yes. Microsoft’s launch announcement also describes broader work in Cowork. Choose the supported experience for the job and check its sources and proposed actions.

Can it replace legal research and professional judgment?

Do not treat it that way. Microsoft documents possible errors, incomplete analysis, and jurisdiction-related limitations. Verify legal authorities through appropriate sources and have a qualified person review the work.

A simple case-review checklist

Before the team treats a review as finished, check:

1. 1The correct client, case, and document version.
2. 2A named person responsible for the review.
3. 3Access to each required source.
4. 4The difference between the draft’s actual wording and requested changes.
5. 5Supporting passages for important claims.
6. 6Human review of the proposed result.
7. 7The next task, approved response, or follow-up.