The Analyze Contracts workflow generates a structured analysis of your contract before you begin your review. Vincent AI can identify definitions, obligations, risks, and key terms from the document. The results give you a starting point for negotiation or due diligence before you begin clause-by-clause review. This article covers how to select analysis tasks and work with the results.
Important: All Vincent AI output requires final review and due diligence by a qualified legal professional before use in negotiation, client advice, or filing.
Select and run tasks
When you upload a contract, Vincent identifies the document type and generates a set of tasks. Each task appears as a selectable card on the screen. You can run tasks individually or select several to process simultaneously.
- In Clio Work, click Vincent in the left navigation.
- Upload your contract. For upload instructions, see Analyse Legal Documents in Clio Work.
- On the Analyze a Contract screen, review the tasks Vincent has generated.
- Select the tasks relevant to your immediate work. You can select multiple tasks and run them together.
- Click the arrow to submit.
Tasks and outputs
Vincent generates tasks based on the contract's specific content, type, and governing jurisdiction. The tasks below are representative of what you may see when you upload a contract.
Extracts all defined terms and verifies that every term used in the contract is properly defined. Output is a multi-section numbered analysis covering six areas:
- Compiled list of defined terms: term as stated, full definition, first location in the document, analytical note, and linked source reference
- Consistency check: plain prose confirming which defined terms are used consistently throughout the document, with linked citations
- Terms used without a clear definition: term, nature of the definitional problem, where it appears, analytical observation, and linked source references
- Ambiguously defined or applied terms: term, detailed explanation of the ambiguity, relevant sections, and linked source references
- Inconsistencies in usage: plain prose identifying inconsistencies in how defined terms are applied; Vincent states affirmatively if none are found
- Summary of issues: issues grouped by category with the specific terms and relevant sections for each
Identifies inconsistencies, ambiguities, and overlapping clauses across the contract. Each entry documents the issue, its location in the contract, an analytical assessment, and a linked source reference.
Identifies client-hostile language and flags clauses that warrant revision or negotiation. Each entry identifies the clause, describes the nature of the problem, and provides a recommended revision.
Identifies the contract's potential risks, assesses their severity, and proposes a mitigation strategy for each. Output is organized by risk category and grounded in the specific contract provisions
Identifies, lists, and assesses all post-closing obligations mapped by party and trigger event. Each entry documents the obligation, its location in the contract, an analytical assessment, and a linked source reference.
Develops a negotiation strategy for your client covering key objectives, fallback positions, and tactical recommendations organized by deal issue. Output is grounded in the specific contract provisions.
Identifies all time limits for bringing a claim under the contract. Each entry documents the claim type, the applicable time limit, the trigger event, and the governing provision.
Produces a structured closing checklist organised into seven sections covering conditions applicable to both parties, conditions specific to each party, core dependencies and sequencing, required approvals and filings, practical closing deliverables, and a step-by-step closing workplan. Each condition entry documents what is required, any dependencies or sequencing notes, the practical closing deliverable needed to satisfy it, and a linked source citation. Vincent offers to convert the output into a signing-to-closing responsibility matrix or a CP/closing checklist in deal counsel format, upon request.
Produces a multi-section analysis covering six areas: who can terminate and under what conditions, break fee and termination fee triggers with amounts and timing, expense allocation rules, exit scenarios organised by party, key deal points, and a plain-language synthesis of the termination structure. The break fee section identifies each trigger, which party pays, the fee amount, the payment timing, and any relevant conditions or carve-outs.
Jurisdiction-specific tasks generate research memos based on the contract's governing law. These tasks vary by matter and may not appear for every contract. Examples include fiduciary duties or appraisal rights under applicable state law.
Each memo is organised into the following sections:
- Short response
- Summary
- Background and relevant law
- Detailed analysis
- Exceptions and caveats
- Conclusion
- Legal authorities: with source extracts, relevance scores, and citations, filterable by case, statute, regulation, administrative decision, and secondary source
Work with the results
Navigate to source provisions
Select any linked page number in the source citation to open the exact location in the contract. Verify the context before relying on output in a client memo or during a negotiation.
Save to Legal Pad
Select the Legal Pad icon in the response footer to save output to Legal Pad. From Legal Pad, you can edit, annotate, and save content directly to Clio Manage.
Add more tasks
Scroll to the top of your conversation and select Add More Tasks to run additional analyses without re-uploading the document.
Continue the conversation
Use the Ask any follow-up question text box to request additional analysis or ask Vincent questions about the contract. For example:
- Convert the closing conditions checklist into a responsibility matrix.
- Which obligations pose the highest breach risk for my client?
- Summarise the termination fee structure in plain language for a client email.
Up Next
- Develop a legal position: see Build Arguments in Clio Work to move from contract analysis to a structured argument for negotiation or dispute
- Compare contract versions: see Compare Documents in Clio Work to identify differences across drafts or related agreements
- Litigation path: see Analyze Complaints in Clio Work to identify claims and defenses if the contract is in dispute