ak-labz/Doc Intake

8 new engagement letters to set up.

Each one needs to be read, fees parsed, scope catalogued, client created in the matter system, conflicts checked. ~15 minutes apiece by hand.

~15 min per letter
2 hours of partner time

Open. Read. Find the fields. Type them somewhere.

Whitman & Patel LLP
Attorneys at Law · Portland, Oregon
Engagement #: EL-2026-148Date: May 18, 2026

RE: Representation of Cascade Brewing Inc. in trademark dispute regarding the "PEAKHOPS" mark.

This letter confirms that Whitman & Patel LLP (the "Firm") is engaged to represent Cascade Brewing Inc. (the "Client") in connection with the dispute against Northstar Beverages, Inc. ("Counterparty").

Scope of representation

Pre-litigation analysis, response to opposition filing, and (if necessary) preparation and filing of TTAB proceedings. Engagement does not extend to federal litigation, which would require a separate engagement letter.

Fee structure

Services billed hourly at the following rates: Partner — $625/hr; Associate — $385/hr; Paralegal — $165/hr. Retainer of $25,000 due upon execution. Monthly billing cycles, net 30.

Key dates

Engagement effective May 20, 2026. First substantive response due to USPTO by June 10, 2026.

Page 1 of 4 · Continued on reverse
Fields a person extracts
  • Client name + counterparties
  • Matter description / scope
  • Fee structure (hourly / flat / contingency)
  • Retainer amount + payment terms
  • Conflict-check parties
  • Effective date + key deadlines
Multiply by 8 engagement letters, and there goes the time.

The AI reads it the way a person would. Just faster.

Engagement letter (PDF)
Whitman & Patel LLP
Client: Cascade Brewing Inc.
Matter: trademark dispute (re: "PEAKHOPS")
Counterparty: Northstar Beverages
Hourly: $625 partner / $385 associate
Retainer: $25,000
Effective: 2026-05-20
First response due: 2026-06-10
~3 sec
Structured fields
firm:"Whitman & Patel LLP"
client:"Cascade Brewing Inc."
matter_type:"trademark_dispute"
matter_subject:"PEAKHOPS mark"
counterparties:["Northstar Beverages"]
fee_structure:"hourly"
rates:{partner: 625, associate: 385}
retainer:25000
effective_date:"2026-05-20"

The AI follows the same logic a human would: spots the header, reads the body, sums or validates as needed. No template setup. No re-training when the format changes.

Fully structured. Validated. Posted.

extracted_engagement.json
Validated
{
  "firm": "Whitman & Patel LLP",
  "client": "Cascade Brewing Inc.",
  "matter": {
    "type": "trademark_dispute",
    "subject": "PEAKHOPS mark dispute",
    "counterparties": ["Northstar Beverages, Inc."]
  },
  "fees": {
    "structure": "hourly",
    "rates": { "partner": 625, "associate": 385, "paralegal": 165 },
    "retainer": 25000,
    "billing_terms": "net 30, monthly cycles"
  },
  "dates": {
    "effective": "2026-05-20",
    "first_response_due": "2026-06-10"
  },
  "conflict_check_required_against": [
    "Cascade Brewing Inc.",
    "Northstar Beverages, Inc."
  ]
}
Checks
  • Conflict check run against firm DB
  • Matter type matched to practice area
  • Retainer parsed and validated
  • Client created in matter system
Pushed to
Clio (matter created)
Conflicts log updated
Slack #intake

120 minutes 4 minutes.

Before
120
minutes / week
· 8 letters read by a paralegal
· Matters set up in Clio by hand
· Conflict checks run manually
After
4
minutes / week
· Letters auto-parsed on arrival
· Matter pre-created with all fields
· Conflict report waiting for review
30× faster.
Partner reviews the result. Doesn't do the typing.

Every engagement letter becomes searchable.

Once docs are structured, finding anything is a sentence away. Ask in plain English. No SQL, no filters, no Excel pivot tables.

3 matching matters
Cascade Brewing Inc.
PEAKHOPS trademark
2026-05-20
$25,000
active
Sentinel Outdoor Co.
SENTINEL wordmark
2026-04-02
$40,000
active
Foundry Coffee LLC
Logo opposition
2026-03-18
$22,500
active
Same engine works across NDAs, fee agreements, deposition transcripts, discovery docs. Anything that comes in.