How the GitHub legal team used Copilot CLI to streamline their workflows
The GitHub legal team used Copilot CLI to streamline their workflows, creating tools to manage repetitive tasks and draft contracts more efficiently. Two team members share their experiences building internal tools using plain language and GitHub Copilot.
Intelligence analysis by Llama

The GitHub legal team used Copilot CLI to create tools that automate repetitive tasks and improve contract drafting. Two team members share their experiences building internal tools using plain language and GitHub Copilot.
Imagine you're a lawyer who needs to review a lot of contracts. You can use a tool called Copilot CLI to help you do that job faster and more efficiently. Two lawyers, Ngandu Kasuku and Jesse Geraci, used Copilot CLI to build their own tools that help them with their work. They were able to do this without needing to learn how to code, and their tools have made their jobs easier and more efficient.
Analysis
A $60B Vote of Confidence
The GitHub legal team's use of Copilot CLI to streamline their workflows is a testament to the power of AI in automating repetitive tasks and improving efficiency. Two team members, Ngandu Kasuku and Jesse Geraci, share their experiences building internal tools using plain language and GitHub Copilot. Kasuku, a product attorney, created a contract drafting tool called terms-ai, which uses Copilot CLI to manage the surge of partnership deals involving data, infrastructure, and product integrations. The tool has reduced Kasuku's review and drafting time by roughly half and has improved the consistency of his provisions across agreements. Geraci, an online safety counsel, built a legal workflow tool that analyzes source code quickly and accurately to evaluate DMCA notices. The tool has expanded beyond code analysis and now includes instructions for various in-house workflows such as contract review, NDA triage, risk assessment, compliance checks, and response drafting. Both Kasuku and Geraci's experiences demonstrate how non-technical professionals can use GitHub Copilot CLI to build tools that improve their workflows and efficiency. The key lesson from their experiences is that AI can be used to build tools around one's own judgment, experience, and way of working. This is a significant development for the legal profession, as it shows that lawyers can use AI to automate repetitive tasks and improve their efficiency without needing to become full-time developers. The use of Copilot CLI has also enabled the legal team to create tools that are tailored to their specific needs and workflows. This is a major advantage over traditional software solutions, which often require significant customization and can be expensive. The GitHub legal team's use of Copilot CLI is a vote of confidence in the power of AI to improve efficiency and productivity in the legal profession. It also highlights the importance of plain language in building tools that are accessible to non-technical professionals. By using plain language, Kasuku and Geraci were able to build tools that are easy to understand and use, even for those without technical expertise. This is a significant development for the legal profession, as it shows that lawyers can use AI to automate repetitive tasks and improve their efficiency without needing to become full-time developers. The use of Copilot CLI has also enabled the legal team to create tools that are tailored to their specific needs and workflows. This is a major advantage over traditional software solutions, which often require significant customization and can be expensive. The GitHub legal team's use of Copilot CLI is a vote of confidence in the power of AI to improve efficiency and productivity in the legal profession. It also highlights the importance of plain language in building tools that are accessible to non-technical professionals. By using plain language, Kasuku and Geraci were able to build tools that are easy to understand and use, even for those without technical expertise.
Key points
- The GitHub legal team used Copilot CLI to streamline their workflows and improve efficiency.
- Two team members, Ngandu Kasuku and Jesse Geraci, shared their experiences building internal tools using plain language and GitHub Copilot.
- Kasuku created a contract drafting tool called terms-ai, which uses Copilot CLI to manage the surge of partnership deals.
- Geraci built a legal workflow tool that analyzes source code quickly and accurately to evaluate DMCA notices.
- The use of Copilot CLI has enabled the legal team to create tools that are tailored to their specific needs and workflows.
The use of Copilot CLI by the GitHub legal team has the potential to improve efficiency and productivity in the legal profession. As more lawyers become familiar with the tool, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions to common problems. The key to success will be in finding the right balance between automation and human judgment, ensuring that AI is used to augment, rather than replace, the skills and expertise of lawyers.
One potential downside of the use of Copilot CLI is the risk of over-reliance on automation. If lawyers become too reliant on the tool, they may lose the skills and expertise needed to perform certain tasks. Additionally, the use of AI in the legal profession raises concerns about bias and accuracy. If the tool is not properly trained or validated, it may produce inaccurate or biased results, which could have serious consequences.
