👋 Welcome to Silicourt Valley

Welcome to the first issue of Silicourt Valley—a newsletter built for legal professionals navigating the new era of AI, automation, and legal tech.

Why Silicourt Valley? Because that’s where we all are now—caught between courtroom tradition and technological transformation. This newsletter exists to help you move forward without losing your footing.

We cover what actually matters: tools, workflows, trends (concerns!), and tactics that simplify your practice. Not hype or fear.

Each issue is designed to be:

• Digestible (you’re busy)

• Practical (not theoretical)

• Actually worth your time

And yes—it's written by a practicing lawyer, not a tech bro. I’m learning and building right alongside you. So, whether you're in BigLaw, a solo practice, government agency, or in-house, you'll find practical AI strategies that work within your actual constraints, not some fantasy version of legal practice.

⏱️ 30-Second Win  

But if you give AI the right role, rules, and jurisdiction—it gets smarter, fast. Need to summarize a dense legal document in minutes? Copy and paste this exact prompt: 

You are an expert [practice area] attorney, barred in the state of [state of practice]. Review the following [document type] and provide: 

1. a 3-bullet executive summary, 

2. any unusual or potentially problematic elements, and 

3. suggested follow-up questions or actions. 

Format your response in clearly labeled sections. 

Drop in your document and watch what happens. This alone is worth the price of admission (which is currently free, so... you're welcome).

🧠 AI Insight: Work Smarter, Not Harder  

While prompts are one piece of the puzzle, what really matters is integrating AI into your existing workflow. Here's how top-performing legal teams are doing it right now: 

The Workflow That's Working: 

1. Start with repetitive, low-risk tasks (document summarization, first drafts) 

2. Develop clear review protocols (never trust AI output blindly) 

3. Track time savings and quality improvements 

Pro tip: Create a "legal tech champion" role within your team - someone who tests tools and shares best practices. This accelerates adoption without requiring everyone to become tech experts. 

🛠️ Tool to Try: Spellbook (by Rally) 

What it does: Contract review... without leaving Microsoft Word 

Why it matters: It's contract AI that works where you already work 

The edge: Auto-suggests clauses, flags risks, and, unlike most legal AI, actually cites its sources. 
 
It’s not perfect, but it’s ahead of most legal tools right now. 

📌 This Week in Legal Tech (The TL;DR Version) 

• 🧾 Judge slams lawyers for submitting bogus AI-generated case law -(https://www.theverge.com/news/666443/judge-slams-lawyers-ai-bogus-research)

  • The court called it “misconduct,” not just a mistake. Lesson: double-check those citations—or face more than embarrassment.

• ⚖️ Harvey AI in talks to raise at a $5 billion valuation -(https://www.reuters.com/technology/legal-startup-harvey-ai-talks-raise-funding-5-billion-valuation-2025-05-14/)

  • The biggest player in legal AI is about to get bigger. What happens when your firm’s assistant is worth more than your building?

• 🏛️ U.S. judicial panel advances proposal to regulate AI-generated evidence - (https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judicial-panel-advances-proposal-regulate-ai-generated-evidence-2025-05-02/)

  • Deepfakes. Auto-written affidavits. If it’s not verified, it may soon be inadmissible. The first formal rules are on the horizon. 

🔐 Coming Soon: Silicourt Pro 

Silicourt Valley will always be free. But I’m building a paid version for professionals who want to: 

• Save time with a searchable legal prompt library 

• Get access to real-world workflows + templates 

• Go deeper on the tech without getting lost in it 

No paywall yet. But when colleagues start asking why you're not using these tools, you'll want to be ready: 

👉 Join the waitlist for Silicourt Pro

📆 The Silicourt Schedule 

Every Tuesday, this lands in your inbox—short enough to read during your morning coffee, practical enough to implement before lunch. 

🔍 Your Move  

Try this today:

You are a labor attorney in California. Draft a severance agreement with optional confidentiality language. List any state-specific limitations. 
 
If it surprises you (or flops), hit reply and let me know. We’ll feature select responses (anonymized, of course) in a future issue. 
 
The legal industry is changing whether we like it or not. Let's stay ahead of the curve together.

The Silicourt Valley Team

P.S. Forward this to that one colleague who still prints their emails. They need this more than you do. 

Disclaimer: The content provided in this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Use of any information from Silicourt Valley does not create an attorney-client relationship. Readers should conduct their own due diligence or consult with a qualified professional before relying on any information or tools discussed herein. All views are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of any affiliated institutions or employers.