Legal AI Text Cleanup: Formatting Contracts and Briefs

Legal professionals are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and specialized legal LLMs to draft contracts, write briefs, and summarize case law. It saves countless hours of preliminary drafting.

But there is a major issue: the formatting.

The Unprofessional Look of Raw AI Output

Legal documents require strict formatting. They need precise numbered lists, specific indentations, and clean text. AI output often uses internet-style formatting, such as:

• Hashes for headers (## Section 1: Liability)
• Asterisks for bold text (**Indemnification**)
• Awkwardly structured links

If a client, opposing counsel, or a judge sees a document littered with these messy text symbols, it immediately signals a lack of attention to detail.

Best Practices for Cleaning Legal AI Drafts

1. Eliminate All Special Symbols

The most critical step is stripping out the messy formatting symbols that AI generates. Legal documents should rely on your word processor's built-in styles (like Word or Google Docs heading styles) rather than text-based symbols.

Use a dedicated cleaner like the AI Text Formatter to instantly remove these symbols from your AI drafts before pasting them into your final document.

2. Standardize Numbering

AI often invents its own numbering schemas or uses bullet points where a numbered list is required. After cleaning the text, carefully review and apply your firm's standard numbering format (e.g., Article I, Section 1.01).

3. Review AI-Generated Links

When AI cites a source or provides a link, it might wrap it in brackets and parentheses [like this](https://example.com). This format is useless in a printed legal brief and looks terrible in a PDF. The formatting tool can help tidy up these links so they are readable.

4. Never Skip the Human Review

While AI can help you draft faster, it cannot replace legal judgment. Always review the cleaned text to ensure the legal reasoning is sound and the language precisely reflects your intent.

By systematically cleaning your AI output, you can leverage the speed of AI drafting without compromising the professional appearance and authority of your legal documents.