Definely's AI Cascade Prevents Contract Domino Effects
Legal technology firm Definely has unveiled Cascade, a new solution designed to detect and track the far-reaching consequences of contract modifications. Dubbed a “first-of-its-kind” innovation, Cascade aims to mitigate the subtle but critical challenge where altering one clause can trigger unforeseen “domino effects” across other parts of an agreement, a problem often overlooked in accelerated contract review processes.
The UK-based company, which secured $30 million in funding this June, asserts that Cascade is the first AI-powered solution capable of identifying first, second, and even third-order impacts stemming from any change within a contract. This development highlights an interesting paradox emerging in the increasingly rapid contract review environment: while artificial intelligence enables lawyers to work significantly faster, this very speed could inadvertently lead to missed downstream implications of quick revisions. Cascade is positioned as the answer to this growing concern.
At its core, Cascade is built upon Definely’s existing Agentic Framework technology and its Draft product, which are designed to analyze the intricate structure and relationships within legal documents. To pinpoint the ripple effects of an edit, Cascade then leverages advanced embedding technology and large language models (LLMs). This allows the system to rapidly detect both semantic and structural consequences of a modification, precisely indicating where other language adjustments are needed throughout the document and substantially reducing the risk of overlooking critical dependencies.
The tool seamlessly integrates into lawyers’ existing workflows, particularly within Microsoft Word. All identified changes are extracted and presented in a consolidated view, offering a comprehensive overview of potential impacts. Furthermore, users can interrogate the system’s findings using natural language queries, allowing them to analyze the results with the same intuitive approach they would use manually, but with dramatically enhanced speed and accuracy.
HaEun Yoon, AI Product Manager at Definely, emphasized the solution’s role in risk management, stating that “Cascade de-risks the drafting process, ensuring that lawyers never miss a critical dependency, which could result in financial losses and damage to their firm’s reputation.” Feargus MacDaeid, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Definely, further elaborated on the product’s significance, describing Cascade as the “next step for lawyers when it comes to having the right tools for high-value and complex work.” He highlighted its superior analytical depth compared to conventional tools, noting that Cascade “reveals up to three levels of impact from a single change,” underscoring Definely’s commitment to delivering advanced solutions for both in-house legal departments and private practice customers.