A Founder’s Guide to Smarter Legal Work: Why I Fired My Lawyer and Hired ChatGPT
Not all legal work is created equal. Some of it truly needs an expert. The rest? A glorified copy-paste. Founders need to know the difference — and AI just made that line clearer. And legal work cheaper.
I fired a lawyer. Saved $480. And hired ChatGPT.
No drama. Just a shift in mindset.
Because not every contract is a legal masterpiece.
Sometimes, it’s just text.
And paying $200/hour for back-and-forth edits on a simple agreement? That’s the real insanity.
The Backstory
Here’s what happened:
I needed a basic service agreement. Something I’d already seen a dozen times. But like many founders, I defaulted to “send it to legal.”
Three days later:
Multiple emails.
Confusing edits.
Unnecessary jargon.
And an invoice that made me question my life choices.
The final version? I ended up rewriting half of it anyway.
That’s when it hit me: this is not expert work.
This is formatting with weird grammar phrases.
So, I opened ChatGPT. Wrote a prompt. Explained the scenario.
And in 10 minutes, I had a clean, readable draft.
Was it perfect? No. Was it 95% there? Yes.
The Truth About Legal Work
Look, I’m not saying all lawyers are replaceable. Far from it.
You want legal experts for:
Structuring equity deals.
Negotiating complex contracts.
Handling disputes, IP, compliance.
But a basic NDA? A freelance agreement? A service contract with zero red flags?
Come on. That’s not “legal craftsmanship.”
That’s document assembly. And AI can do that in seconds.
Founders need to start seeing the difference between:
• Expert legal advice, and
• Administrative legal labor
One demands experience. The other is just high-priced typing.
AI Is the Assistant You Didn’t Know You Had
ChatGPT doesn’t:
Bill in 6-minute increments
Argue with you over commas
It’s an employee that works 24/7.
Understands nuance when prompted well.
And yes, it sometimes makes mistakes. But here’s the kicker: so do humans.
The difference is, AI doesn’t pretend the mistake took three hours of research.
Use AI Where It Makes Sense
No, this won’t work for every legal need. I’m not replacing my legal counsel when it comes to high-stakes contracts.
But for everyday stuff? Founders should ask:
Is this actually complex?
Or is this just templated nonsense dressed up in legalese?
If it’s the latter, skip the lawyer. Draft it in ChatGPT. Then maybe run it past a human for a 15-minute sanity check.
Still faster. Still cheaper. Still smart.
The Mindset Shift
This isn’t about being anti-lawyer. It’s about being pro-efficiency.
Too many founders waste money proving they’re “serious” by outsourcing every minor task to overpriced service providers.
It’s a status game. And it’s outdated.
Today, smart execution beats expensive ceremony.
AI is redefining what counts as “expertise.” And a lot of what we thought was irreplaceable turns out to be… not.
Bottom Line
Legal work isn’t sacred. Time is. Cash flow is. Focus is.
AI lets you protect all three.
So next time you’re staring at a simple contract…
Ask yourself:
Do I need an expert?
Or do I just need it done?
One costs $480. The other? About 10 minutes and a smart prompt.
No-brainer for some. Terrifying for others.
But either way, the game has changed… :)