AI contract review time calculator

This free calculator estimates how many hours an AI first-pass review would remove from your contract work each month and year. Enter contracts reviewed per month, hours per first-pass review and an hourly rate, then set the percentage of review time removed. The slider starts at 50 percent, the middle of what Gavel Exec customers have reported in published case studies.

AI contract review time calculator

Estimate the hours a first-pass contract review takes your team today and how much of that an AI review inside Microsoft Word would remove. The reduction slider is set to the middle of what Gavel Exec customers have reported; move it to your own estimate.

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Reference points are what customers reported in their own case studies: 40 to 60% per contract at a regulated financial services firm, half the time at David Austin Law, and 15 hours to about 5 at MIA Contract Lawyers. Results depend on contract type, playbook and reviewer. Nothing you type leaves this page.

How to use the calculator

  1. Enter the number of contracts your team reviews in a typical month. Count only the ones that get a real first-pass read, not signatures on your own templates.
  2. Enter the hours a first-pass review takes today: reading the counterparty's draft, comparing it to your positions and marking it up. For a 20 to 40 page commercial agreement this is often 2 to 4 hours; MIA Contract Lawyers reported about 15 hours for complex deals before Gavel Exec.
  3. Enter an hourly rate. Use the billing rate if the time is billed, or a loaded hourly cost for in-house teams.
  4. Set the reduction. The four reference buttons under the slider jump to figures customers have reported; the calculator makes no assumption beyond the number you choose.

Where the reference points come from

Each reference button under the slider is a figure reported by a named Gavel Exec customer in a published case study. A regulated financial services firm reported 40 to 60 percent less time per contract. David Austin Law, a solo real estate practice, reported reviews in half the time. MIA Contract Lawyers reported that a review that took about 15 hours now takes about 5.

Reductions vary with contract type, the quality of the playbook the AI applies, and how much time the reviewing lawyer spends checking the output. The calculator reports hours per review after the AI first pass so you can judge whether the remaining time is realistic for your matters.

What an AI first pass does

Gavel Exec works inside Microsoft Word. It reads the counterparty's draft, compares each clause to a playbook of your firm's positions, flags departures, and proposes redlines as tracked changes that the lawyer accepts, edits or rejects. The lawyer still reviews the contract; the first pass of finding and marking issues is what gets faster. Pricing is $160 per user per month or $1,740 per user per year, with 25 free queries to start and no credit card required.

Frequently asked questions

How much time does AI contract review save?

Gavel Exec customers have reported reductions of 40 to 67 percent of first-pass review time per contract in published case studies, including a regulated financial services firm (40 to 60 percent) and MIA Contract Lawyers (about 15 hours to 5). The result for your team depends on contract type and playbook quality, which is why the calculator lets you set the percentage.

Does the AI replace the lawyer's review?

No. It performs the first pass of reading the draft, comparing it to your positions and proposing redlines. The lawyer reviews the proposed changes in Word and decides what to accept. The calculator's "hours per review after AI first pass" figure is that remaining lawyer time.

Is anything I enter sent to Gavel?

No. The calculator runs in your browser, makes no network requests and stores nothing. Reloading the page resets it.

How do I compare the result with the cost of the software?

Multiply the number of reviewers by $1,740 per year for an annual Gavel Exec plan and compare that with the "value per year at your rate" figure. You can also try Gavel Exec with 25 free queries, without a credit card, before deciding.