How Solo GCs Can Use AI to Triage Legal Fire Drills

You're the only lawyer at your company. Every day, you're hit with:

• "Can you review this contract by EOD?"
• "Is this marketing campaign legal?"
• "An employee has a question about their benefits."
• "A customer is threatening to sue."
• "Can you draft an NDA for this partnership?"

The problem? You're one person. You can't do it all.

You need a way to triage incoming requests, identify what's urgent, and focus your time on what actually needs a lawyer.

This guide will show you how solo GCs can use AI to triage legal fire drills, handle routine requests faster, and protect their time for high-value work.

The Solo GC's Dilemma

As a solo general counsel, you're responsible for everything:

• Contracts and commercial agreements
• Employment and HR issues
• Compliance and regulatory matters
• Intellectual property
• Litigation and disputes
• Corporate governance
• And everything else that touches "legal"

The result? You're constantly in triage mode, trying to figure out:

• What's urgent vs. important?
• What needs a lawyer vs. what can be handled by the business?
• What can wait vs. what needs to be done now?

The solution: Use AI to help you triage faster, handle routine work more efficiently, and focus on what matters most.

The AI-Powered Triage Framework

Here's a simple framework for using AI to triage legal requests:

Step 1: Categorize the Request

Step 2: Assess the Risk and Urgency

Step 3: Decide How to Handle It

Step 4: Use AI to Speed Up Execution

Let's break down each step.

Step 1: Categorize the Request

Not all legal requests are created equal. Use these categories to organize incoming work:

Category 1: Contracts and Agreements

• Customer contracts, vendor agreements, partnership agreements
• NDAs, MSAs, SOWs
• Employment agreements, offer letters

Category 2: Compliance and Regulatory

• Privacy policies, terms of service
• Regulatory inquiries or audits
• Industry-specific compliance (HIPAA, FINRA, etc.)

Category 3: Employment and HR

• Employee disputes or complaints
• Terminations, layoffs, restructuring
• Benefits, compensation, policies

Category 4: Intellectual Property

• Trademark, copyright, patent issues
• IP assignments, licenses
• Infringement claims

Category 5: Litigation and Disputes

• Customer complaints or threats
• Vendor or partner disputes
• Regulatory enforcement actions

Category 6: Corporate Governance

• Board resolutions, minutes
• Equity and financing matters
• Corporate structure and compliance

Why this matters: Once you categorize a request, you can quickly assess how to handle it.

Step 2: Assess the Risk and Urgency

Use this matrix to prioritize:

High Risk + High Urgency (🔥🔥🔥)

Examples:

• Active lawsuit or legal threat
• Regulatory inquiry or audit
• Employee complaint involving discrimination or harassment
• Data breach or privacy violation

What to do: Drop everything and handle it yourself. This is your top priority.

High Risk + Low Urgency (🔥🔥)

Examples:

• Complex contract negotiation (but no immediate deadline)
• Compliance project (but not yet a violation)
• IP strategy (important but not urgent)

What to do: Schedule time to handle it yourself. Don't let it become urgent.

Low Risk + High Urgency (🔥)

Examples:

• Standard NDA review (needed by EOD)
• Routine contract review (standard terms, low value)
• Quick legal question from the business

What to do: Use AI to handle the first pass, then review and approve. This is where AI saves you the most time.

Low Risk + Low Urgency

Examples:

• Updating internal policies
• Reviewing marketing copy
• General legal questions

What to do: Batch these requests and handle them during "office hours" or delegate to the business with guidance.

Step 3: Decide How to Handle It

Once you've categorized and assessed the request, decide how to handle it:

Option 1: Handle It Yourself

When to use:

• High-risk, high-stakes matters
• Complex legal questions
• Anything that could result in litigation or regulatory action

Examples:

• Active lawsuits or disputes
• Regulatory inquiries
• Complex contract negotiations
• Employee complaints

Option 2: Use AI for First Pass, Then Review

When to use:

• Routine contracts or agreements
• Standard legal questions
• Document review or summarization

Examples:

• NDA review
• Standard customer contract review
• Summarizing a long agreement
• Drafting routine correspondence

How AI helps:

• AI can summarize key terms in seconds
• AI can flag red flags or unusual clauses
• AI can draft initial responses or edits
• You review, refine, and approve

Time saved: 50-70% on routine contract review

Option 3: Empower the Business with Guidance

When to use:

• Low-risk, routine questions
• Questions that don't require legal judgment
• Requests that can be handled with a template or playbook

Examples:

• "Can I use this stock photo in our marketing?"
• "What's our refund policy?"
• "How do I handle this customer complaint?"

How AI helps:

• Create a knowledge base of common questions and answers
• Use AI to draft playbooks or FAQs for the business
• Train the business to self-serve on routine matters

Time saved: Eliminates 20-30% of incoming requests

Option 4: Escalate to Outside Counsel

When to use:

• Specialized legal matters (e.g., patent litigation, M&A)
• High-stakes matters that require deep expertise
• Matters that require more time than you have

Examples:

• Complex litigation
• M&A transactions
• Patent prosecution
• Regulatory enforcement actions

How AI helps:

• Use AI to summarize the issue and prepare a brief for outside counsel
• Use AI to review outside counsel's work product

Time saved: Reduces the time you spend managing outside counsel

Step 4: Use AI to Speed Up Execution

Here's how to use AI for common solo GC tasks:

Task 1: Contract Review

Traditional approach:

• Read the entire contract (30-60 minutes)
• Identify key terms and red flags
• Draft redlines or comments
• Send back to the business

AI-powered approach:

• Upload the contract to Vinny (30 seconds)
• Get a plain-English summary of key terms (1 minute)
• Review flagged red flags and unusual clauses (5 minutes)
• Draft redlines or comments (10 minutes)
• Send back to the business

Time saved: 50-70%

Task 2: Legal Questions from the Business

Traditional approach:

• Read the question (2 minutes)
• Research the issue (15-30 minutes)
• Draft a response (10-15 minutes)
• Send back to the business

AI-powered approach:

• Ask Vinny to summarize the legal issue (1 minute)
• Review AI's response and verify accuracy (5 minutes)
• Refine and send back to the business (5 minutes)

Time saved: 50-60%

Task 3: Document Drafting

Traditional approach:

• Find a template (10 minutes)
• Customize for the specific situation (30-60 minutes)
• Review and finalize (15 minutes)

AI-powered approach:

• Ask Vinny to draft an initial version (2 minutes)
• Review and customize (15-20 minutes)
• Finalize and send

Time saved: 40-50%

Task 4: Summarizing Long Documents

Traditional approach:

• Read the entire document (1-2 hours)
• Take notes and summarize key points (30 minutes)

AI-powered approach:

• Upload the document to Vinny (30 seconds)
• Get a plain-English summary (1 minute)
• Review and verify accuracy (10 minutes)

Time saved: 80-90%

Real-World Example: A Day in the Life of a Solo GC (With and Without AI)

Without AI:

9:00 AM: Arrive at office. 15 emails waiting.

9:15 AM: Start reviewing a 20-page customer contract. Spend 45 minutes reading and taking notes.

10:00 AM: Interrupted by a "quick question" from the sales team. Spend 20 minutes researching and responding.

10:20 AM: Back to the contract. Spend 30 minutes drafting redlines.

10:50 AM: Another interruption—HR has a question about an employee termination. Spend 30 minutes on the phone.

11:20 AM: Finally send the contract back to the business.

11:30 AM: Start reviewing an NDA. Spend 20 minutes.

11:50 AM: Lunch (interrupted by a "quick call").

1:00 PM: Back to the NDA. Finish review and send back.

1:20 PM: Start drafting a response to a customer complaint. Spend 40 minutes.

2:00 PM: Meeting with the CEO about a potential partnership. Spend 1 hour.

3:00 PM: Back to emails. 10 new requests.

3:15 PM: Start reviewing a vendor agreement. Spend 45 minutes.

4:00 PM: Interrupted by a "fire drill"—employee complaint. Spend 1 hour.

5:00 PM: Still have 8 requests in the queue. Take work home.

Total time on routine work: 5+ hours
Total time on high-value work: 2 hours

---

With AI (Vinny):

9:00 AM: Arrive at office. 15 emails waiting.

9:15 AM: Upload the 20-page customer contract to Vinny. Get a summary in 1 minute. Review key terms and red flags in 10 minutes. Draft redlines in 15 minutes. Send back to the business.

9:45 AM: Sales team asks a "quick question." Use Vinny to draft a response in 5 minutes. Review and send.

9:55 AM: Upload the NDA to Vinny. Get a summary in 1 minute. Review and approve in 5 minutes. Send back.

10:05 AM: HR has a question about an employee termination. Spend 30 minutes on the phone (some things still need a human).

10:35 AM: Use Vinny to draft a response to the customer complaint. Review and refine in 15 minutes. Send.

10:50 AM: Coffee break.

11:00 AM: Meeting with the CEO about a potential partnership. Spend 1 hour.

12:00 PM: Lunch (uninterrupted).

1:00 PM: Upload the vendor agreement to Vinny. Get a summary in 1 minute. Review key terms in 10 minutes. Approve and send back.

1:15 PM: Handle the employee complaint "fire drill." Spend 1 hour.

2:15 PM: Review the remaining 8 requests. Use Vinny to triage and handle routine ones. Spend 1 hour.

3:15 PM: Focus time for high-value work (compliance project, IP strategy). Spend 2 hours.

5:15 PM: Done for the day. No work to take home.

Total time on routine work: 2 hours
Total time on high-value work: 3 hours

Time saved: 3+ hours per day

Best Practices for Using AI as a Solo GC

1. Start with Low-Risk, High-Volume Tasks

Don't try to use AI for everything at once. Start with routine tasks like NDA review, standard contract review, or answering common legal questions.

2. Always Review AI's Work

AI is a tool, not a replacement for your judgment. Always review and verify AI's output before relying on it.

3. Build a Knowledge Base

Use AI to help you create playbooks, FAQs, and templates for common legal questions. This empowers the business to self-serve.

4. Set Boundaries

Just because you can respond faster doesn't mean you should be available 24/7. Use the time you save to focus on high-value work—not to take on more routine work.

5. Choose the Right Tool

Not all AI tools are created equal. Look for tools that:

• Are designed for legal work (not generic chatbots)
• Protect your data (no training on your inputs)
• Provide plain-English summaries (not just keyword extraction)
• Help you make informed decisions (not just automate tasks)

Why Vinny is different:
Vinny is built specifically for in-house legal teams. It's private, secure, and designed to help you triage and handle routine work faster—so you can focus on what matters most.

Common Concerns About Using AI

"Will AI replace me?"

No. AI is a tool that helps you work faster and smarter. It can't replace your judgment, expertise, or strategic thinking.

"What if AI makes a mistake?"

AI can make mistakes—that's why you always review its work. Think of AI as a junior associate, not a senior partner.

"Is it safe to use AI with confidential information?"

It depends on the tool. Generic tools like ChatGPT store your data and may train on it. Professional tools like Vinny encrypt your data and don't train on it.

"Will the business expect me to work even faster?"

Set expectations upfront. Use the time you save to focus on high-value work—not to take on more routine work.

How to Get Started

Here's a simple plan to start using AI as a solo GC:

Week 1: Identify Your Bottlenecks

• Track how you spend your time for one week
• Identify the tasks that take the most time (e.g., contract review, legal questions)
• Prioritize the tasks where AI could help the most

Week 2: Choose an AI Tool

• Research AI tools designed for legal work (like Vinny)
• Test a few tools with low-risk tasks (e.g., NDA review)
• Choose the tool that works best for you

Week 3: Start with One Use Case

• Pick one routine task to automate (e.g., NDA review)
• Use AI to handle the first pass, then review and approve
• Measure the time saved

Week 4: Expand to Other Use Cases

• Once you're comfortable with one use case, expand to others (e.g., contract review, legal questions)
• Build playbooks and templates for common tasks
• Train the business to self-serve on routine matters

Within a month, you should be saving 10-15 hours per week.