Dykema and Clearbrief Join Forces to Enhance Legal Drafting with AI Innovations

Dykema and Clearbrief: A Partnership to Transform Legal Drafting

As the legal landscape continues to evolve with technology, leading national law firm Dykema is at the forefront of this transformation through its recent partnership with Clearbrief, an award-winning platform dedicated to legal writing using artificial intelligence. This collaboration, which was officially announced on March 11, 2025, aims to empower attorneys and business professionals alike by integrating advanced AI tools directly into Microsoft Word.

Clearbrief provides a suite of AI-driven features designed to help litigators efficiently find, organize, and present the pivotal evidence behind their legal documents. By facilitating easy access to source material, Dykema underscores its commitment to maintaining accuracy in legal writing—an essential factor for its ongoing success. The introduction of Clearbrief's capabilities aims to tackle a significant challenge often faced by legal practitioners: ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content compared to source documents.

An Early Adoption of AI

Dykema initially piloted Clearbrief in 2023, using its traditional AI functionalities within Microsoft Word. This initial phase allowed their appellate group to significantly reduce the time spent on tedious tasks such as searching for information, cite-checking, and creating exhibits. Through this pilot, the firm recognized the immense potential of Clearbrief's generative AI tools, which include features such as the Instant Hyperlinked Timeline and Verified Facts Section. These functionalities not only help in organizing evidence but also streamline the drafting process with on-demand citations that display relevant source materials in real time alongside the developing texts.

A User-Friendly Design

Tom Alleman, a member of Dykema, praises Clearbrief for its user-friendly interface that enhances his case preparation process. "The way Clearbrief operates aligns really neatly with how I think through my cases and how I prepare my motions," he states, emphasizing the ease of adding charts and graphical representations to legal briefs. For Alleman, the platform has become indispensable, replacing his time-consuming method of combing through case records to find crucial citations. This efficiency, he notes, allows him to work faster while ensuring accuracy.

Similarly, Dykema's Office Managing Member, Melanie Chico, has lauded the platform for facilitating a better review process. With Clearbrief, drafting and revising content has become significantly more streamlined, enabling legal professionals to confirm citation accuracy swiftly and to discover additional evidence with ease. According to her, the improvements afforded by Clearbrief are nothing short of transformative.

Enhancing Client Relations

Myka Hopgood, Chief Knowledge Management and Innovation Officer at Dykema, highlights another vital advantage of Clearbrief: its capacity to create hyperlinked documents that can be easily shared with clients. This feature enhances client engagement by providing them with accessible and interactive legal documents that not only increase understanding but bolster Dykema's credibility in the court.

The trial participants reported marked improvements in drafting legal pleadings, analyzing discovery materials, and handling routine tasks essential for litigation filings. The effect of Clearbrief was evident not just in efficiency but also in the thoroughness of preparations for oral arguments.

Looking Ahead

Dykema’s forward-thinking leaders recognized early on in 2023 the substantial impact AI could have on litigation practices, positioning them advantageously compared to traditional firms. Jacqueline Schafer, founder and CEO of Clearbrief, acknowledged this foresight, remarking on how Dykema's team has effectively integrated responsible AI tools into their workflow. The creativity brought by Dykema’s innovation team is seen as pivotal in redefining the ways lawyers can deliver value to their clients.

About Dykema and Clearbrief

Dykema is renowned for serving a diverse clientele, from emerging startups to large Fortune 100 companies, providing them with excellence in various complex legal matters, including litigation and corporate finance. On the other hand, Clearbrief stands out as a legal writing platform that promotes legal-grade accuracy, assisting legal professionals in drafting credible documents utilizing both public and confidential data. The platform has garnered accolades, including being named the 2023 Litigation Technology Product of the Year and a finalist in various categories for 2025 Legalweek awards.

In a landscape where legal technology is increasingly vital, the partnership between Dykema and Clearbrief signifies a leap forward in enhancing legal drafting, aiming to set new standards of efficiency and accuracy in the profession.