First pass legal review of counterparty redlines in Ironclad

When the other side sends their version back, the key terms get checked against your playbook, flagged on the contract record, and summarized in Slack.

Agentic Task
IroncladSlackOperationsDocument ProcessingNotifications & Alerts
PromptCreate

When a new document is uploaded to an Ironclad workflow, run a first pass legal review of the counterparty's paper before it lands on my legal team's desk. Trigger this on the Ironclad workflow document webhook event so it runs the moment a new file arrives on a workflow.

Start by calling Retrieve a Workflow with the workflow ID from the webhook payload to pull context: the counterparty name, the contract type, the contract value, and the assigned owner. Hold on to the owner's name and email, I need them at the end.

Then call List Workflow Documents for that workflow and pick the newest counterparty version rather than the original template or an earlier internal draft. Documents come down one at a time by document ID, so once you have chosen the right one, call Download Workflow Document to get its contents.

Before reviewing anything, decide whether the file is actually a negotiated contract. If it is an exhibit, a W-9, a certificate of insurance, a standalone signature page, or any other non-negotiated attachment, stop quietly. Do not post a comment and do not send a Slack message.

For a real contract, compare the key clauses against our standard playbook positions: limitation of liability cap, indemnification, auto renewal and notice periods, termination for convenience, payment terms, governing law, and data protection or security commitments. For each deviation, state what the other side changed, explain in plain English why it matters commercially, classify it as acceptable, worth negotiating, or must fix, and suggest fallback language we could counter with. If one of our playbook positions is missing from the document entirely, treat that as a deviation too.

Post the full findings as a comment on the workflow activity feed using Create Workflow Comment, so the review lives on the contract record itself. Lead the comment with an overall risk level of low, medium, or high, then list the deviations grouped by classification with the must fix items first. Say clearly in the comment that this is an automated first pass and that a lawyer still needs to sign off.

Then send a short message to our legal Slack channel with Send a Message. Keep it to a few lines: counterparty, contract type, overall risk level, how many must fix items there are, and a link to the workflow in Ironclad so people can jump to the full comment. Only tag the assigned owner when there is at least one must fix issue. To tag them, match the owner's email against Slack List Users to get their member ID, and fall back to their plain name if there is no match.

A few practical notes. Build the workflow link from the Ironclad subdomain and the workflow ID. If the Ironclad credential was issued through client credentials, write calls need an actor header of x-as-user-email or x-as-user-id or Ironclad returns a 400, so set one when posting the comment. The scopes this needs are public.workflows.readWorkflows, public.workflows.readDocuments and public.workflows.createComments. Never approve, sign, or advance the workflow. This flags issues for a human to decide on, it does not clear anything.

What does this prompt do?

  • Watches your Ironclad workflows and picks up the newest version the counterparty sent, ignoring the original template and earlier drafts.
  • Checks the terms you care about most against your standard positions: liability caps, indemnities, auto renewal and notice periods, termination for convenience, payment terms, governing law, and data protection commitments.
  • Writes up every difference in plain English, says why it matters, marks it acceptable, worth negotiating, or must fix, and suggests wording you could counter with.
  • Posts the write up as a comment on the contract in Ironclad and sends a short risk summary to your legal channel in Slack, tagging the assigned owner only when something must be fixed.

What do I need to use this?

  • An Ironclad account with the contract workflows your team already runs.
  • Permission for the automation to read workflows and their documents and to post comments on the activity feed.
  • A Slack workspace and the channel your legal team watches.
  • Your playbook positions written down, so the review has something concrete to compare against.

How can I customize it?

  • Change which clauses get reviewed and swap in your own fallback positions for each one.
  • Pick the Slack channel, and decide whether the assigned owner gets tagged on every review or only when there is a must fix issue.
  • Adjust what counts as a contract worth reviewing, so exhibits, tax forms, and standalone signature pages stay skipped.

FAQs

Does this approve or reject contracts on its own?
No. It only flags what changed and how risky it looks. Nothing is approved, signed, or moved forward, and a lawyer still makes the final call on every point it raises.
What happens if the file is not a real contract?
It skips quietly. Exhibits, W-9s, certificates, and standalone signature pages get ignored, so your activity feed does not fill up with noise.
Where do the findings end up?
On the contract itself. The full review is posted as a comment on the Ironclad workflow activity feed, so anyone who opens the record sees it in context. Slack only gets the short version with a link back.
Can it use our own playbook instead of generic standards?
Yes, and it works much better that way. You give it your standard position and preferred fallback for each clause, and it compares the counterparty's language against those rather than against a generic benchmark.
Will my whole legal team get pinged on every contract?
Only if you want that. The channel gets a short summary on every review, and the assigned owner is tagged only when there is a must fix issue, so the notifications stay meaningful.

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