Now that you’ve opted into the Beta, here’s how to get the most out of Plexus Counsel.
Remember: This feature is available to all users in your organisation. Unless you've opted for a Beta in a siloed environment, That means both lawyers and business users can start asking questions of their documents — in plain English — right from the Document details page.
How it works
Open a contract in Plexus and head to the Document details page.
Plexus Counsel will launch automatically.
Type in your question (or copy one of the example starter questions below).
Counsel will generate an answer directly from the contract on screen.
Top tip! You can minimise the panel at any time. To reopen the tool, look for the Plexus Counsel Launcher in the top right hand corner of your Document details page.
Navigating the tool
Before you explore the scenarios, here’s a quick guide to the key buttons and controls in Counsel.
Action | Description | Image |
Launch | Launch Plexus Counsel from the top right hand corner of the screen. |
 |
Expand | Expand the size of the window across your screen. | 
|
Move | Move the window around your screen. | 
|
View threads | View previous conversations. | 
|
New thread | Create a new thread to clear your chat history. | 
|
Close | Close the window, or use the chat launcher above. |
 |
Clear | Clear the current message to start again, or click Backspace on your keyboard. |
 |
Submit | Send the current message, or click Enter on your keyboard. | 
|
How it works
Counsel is designed for everyone in your organisation — from lawyers reviewing contracts in detail, to business users who just need clarity to make faster decisions.
That means the examples below include legal-focused scenarios (like risk assessment, negotiation coaching, or compliance checks) as well as business-focused scenarios (like explaining clauses in plain English or preparing for conversations with legal).
By experimenting with both, you’ll see how Counsel can:
Scale legal expertise beyond the legal team.
Help business users self-serve simple answers without unnecessary back-and-forth.
Free lawyers to focus on higher-value, strategic work.
To assist with getting started, we've suggested some ways that you might like to test out the tool:
You can also check out our tips to get the best results.
Coaching
Scenarios designed to prepare you, anticipate responses, and sharpen your approach.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Preparing for negotiation | Legal | Coach me for this scenario: if I push back on [this indemnity clause], how might the counterparty respond, and what should I say in reply to justify our position? |
Anticipating internal conversations | Business | What are the top five things my legal team is likely to ask me about this contract, so I can prepare now? |
Understanding local law | Both | What do I need to know about [Jurisdiction] law? Why wouldn’t I agree to that, beyond the need to travel to [that place]? |
Negotiation
Scenarios to test positions, balance terms, and explore creative solutions.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Spotting imbalance | Legal | Identify any one-sided clauses in this contract and suggest balanced alternatives we can propose. |
Redrafting positions | Legal | Draft a version of this contract where the governing law is [California]. |
Finding business solutions | Both | What are some creative ways I can solve for the termination for convenience provision as a business? |
Risk & Protections
Prompts that highlight concerns and opportunities for stronger safeguards.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Changing circumstances | Legal | What are the potential concerns for this agreement if we [move the event/purchase the XXX] to this state/jurisdiction? |
Assessing risks | Legal | What are the legal reasons why we should not agree to this contract? |
Adding protection | Legal | Are there additional protections in this contract that I can consider? |
Enforcement | Legal | What are my remedies for breach if the other party [doesn’t deliver the project on time]? |
Explanation & Translation
Prompts to break down complexity for lawyers, business users, and non-English speakers alike.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Plain-English explanations | Business | I’m not a lawyer. Explain what [this contract clause] means. |
Bridging legal/business understanding | Business | I don’t understand why my lawyer is pushing back on [this clause] — can you explain it to me? |
Supporting accessibility | Both | English is my second language (my first language is [Spanish]) — can you summarise the agreement for me? |
Enforcement | Legal | What are my remedies for breach if the other party [doesn’t deliver the project on time]? |
Compliance & Standards
Scenarios to connect contracts with broader legal frameworks and obligations.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Data protection | Both | This document mentions GDPR — can you break it down? |
Employment law | Both | What are the Australian National Employment Standards? |
Summaries & Communication
Prompts to translate contracts into formats you can share and act on.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Contract reviews | Both | Generate a contract review |
Translation | Both | Summarise this contract in Japanese, French, and Spanish side-by-side. |
Contract summaries | Both | Summarise the table in this document as a bulleted list. |
Do the Work
Examples that show how Counsel can help you produce real outputs — saving time on first drafts, summaries, and everyday tasks.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Write emails to the business | Legal | Write a draft email explaining the key risks of this contract to the business team. |
Write emails to counterparties | Legal | Write a draft email to the counterparty pushing back on the indemnity clause. |
Generate top sheets | Both | Generate a one-page top sheet that focuses on termination rights and liability caps. |
Generate new documents | Legal | Draft a version of this contract where the governing law is [California]. |
Generate supporting documents | Legal | Generate a demand letter for late delivery of the project. |
For Fun
Because sometimes, the best way to appreciate the power of AI is to see how far you can stretch it.
Scenario | Use case | Example |
Haiku | Both | Explain the contract as a haiku. |
Acting | Both | Summarise the contract using Shakespearian English. |
Recipes | Both | Summarise the agreement as a cooking recipe |
Emojis | Both | Draft a version of this contract where the governing law is [California]. |
Lyrics | Both | Tell me about this contract using the lyrics to a popular [Justin Bieber] song. |
Creative explanations | Both | Explain this contract as if I were a 5-year-old… and then as if I were a Supreme Court judge. |
Tips to Get the Best Results
Be specific. The more precise your question, the more useful the answer.
Experiment. Try the same question in different ways to see alternative insights.
Use plain English. Counsel is designed to understand natural, conversational language.
Share feedback. Let your Account Manager know what works and what could be improved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question | Answer |
Does AI read the documents outside the one that I'm viewing? | No – it only analyses the document you have open. This ensures the answers are focused, accurate, and based on the exact content you’re reviewing. It also has context from any prior questions that you’ve asked in the chat.
Consider starting a New thread to start afresh. |
Can it answer anything? | It can answer any question about the document in front of you, explain terms, summarise sections, highlight risks, and suggest options — but final decisions should still be validated.
We’ve seen examples of some smart calculations, for example:
|
What can't it do? | ❌ Sub-documents ❌ Internal documents ❌ Routing to lawyers or business users ❌ Notifying or sending an email to someone in the business about the results – though it can draft an email for you to copy and paste ❌ Creating Plexus notifications/alerts ❌ Knowledge – coming soon. ❌ Comparisons to other contracts ❌ Legal matters ❌ The documents in my repository that have a similar clause ❌ Redlining onto the document |
Why does “Chat to Your Document” sometimes include information not in my document? | The Chat to Your Document feature is designed to answer questions using the content of the document you’ve uploaded. However, you may occasionally notice it includes details that are not explicitly written in your file. This happens because the feature uses an AI model that can combine your document with general knowledge it already has. How it works
Why extra information appears
|
For questions on security, please consult our AI Security Fact Sheet.