Messaging — Surface Rule: In-App Lawyer Fork
When this applies
Once a user has been classified as a legal professional (via persona quiz, email domain, LinkedIn import, or manual declaration during onboarding — see [[onboarding-b2c-vs-b2b-fork]]), all in-app copy shown to that user follows the lawyer-fork rules defined here. This covers:
- Welcome and onboarding screens (post-persona detection)
- Feature discovery tooltips and walkthroughs
- Empty-state prompts in the drafting board, document workspace, and skills library
- Upsell and plan-upgrade prompts
- System notifications and status messages
- Error messages and escalation prompts
- Settings page descriptions
The lawyer fork is not a relaxation of compliance requirements — it is a different voice, a different vocabulary, and a different value frame. Banned claims for lawyers still apply in full per [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]].
Behavior — The Professional Voice
In-app copy in the lawyer fork assumes the user:
- Holds a law degree and is practicing or has recently practiced
- Understands legal concepts and does not need them explained from scratch
- Has high expectations of accuracy, jurisdictional coverage, and citation quality
- Is evaluating the product against their existing workflow and billing model
- Cares about professional responsibility and will not use a tool that creates malpractice risk
Copy must reflect these assumptions. Do not over-explain basic legal concepts. Do not use consumer-style "we make law easy!" messaging. Do not imply the user is not competent.
Copy Rules by In-App Location
Onboarding / Welcome Screen
| Element |
Lawyer fork rule |
| Welcome headline |
Professional register: "Welcome to your legal workbench." / "Your AI-powered research and drafting partner." |
| Sub-copy |
State coverage and capability: "Multi-jurisdiction coverage across LB, KSA, UAE, DIFC, ADGM, UK, and more." |
| First action prompt |
Task-oriented: "Start with a document review" / "Draft your first contract" / "Research a legal question" |
| Disclaimer |
Brief but present: "Louis assists with legal research and drafting; lawyer review and judgment remain essential." |
Feature Tooltips and Discovery
- Lead with the task the feature enables, not the technology behind it
- "Review this contract against standard market terms — Louis flags deviations." (not "AI-powered contract analysis")
- Reference jurisdiction-specific capabilities where relevant: "KSA employment contracts — including Saudization compliance"
- Use professional vocabulary: "liability cap", "indemnification", "governing law", "non-compete enforceability" — assume the user understands these
Drafting Board Empty State
- "Start a new matter — Louis will draft the first pass." (not "Get started with your legal work!")
- "Assign documents to this matter, set the jurisdiction and party positions, and Louis generates a workflow."
Upsell / Plan Upgrade Prompts
- Frame around professional capability expansion, not cost savings
- "Upgrade to Pro for eFirm features: firm playbooks, matter templates, and team assignment."
- "Your current plan includes single-jurisdiction research. Pro unlocks multi-jurisdiction comparison across LB, KSA, UAE, DIFC, ADGM, and UK."
- Never use "save money" framing in lawyer-fork upgrade prompts — the professional audience responds to capability, not cost
Error and Escalation Messages
- Professional register: "This analysis is based on publicly available legal sources. For binding legal opinions or court filings, verify against primary sources."
- Do not use apologetic consumer-style error messages ("Oh no! Something went wrong.")
- Use precise, actionable language: "Document type not recognized — please select the applicable jurisdiction and contract category."
Banned Patterns in Lawyer Fork
These patterns are blocked specifically for the lawyer fork (in addition to the general banned claims):
- Consumer-style excitement: "You're going to love this!" (wrong register)
- Over-simplification: "Legal made easy!" (condescending to a professional)
- Displacement framing: "Handle this without an associate" (see [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]])
- Fee-threat language: "Save on legal costs" (attacks the lawyer's billing model)
- Competence challenges: "Louis does this better than manual review" (threatening to professional identity)
Examples
Strong lawyer-fork in-app copy:
"Your NDA is ready for review. Louis flagged 3 deviations from DIFC market standard and suggested revisions. You retain full editorial control."
Weak in-app copy (avoid on lawyer fork):
"Wow, Louis just wrote your NDA! Check it out!"
Strong empty-state prompt:
"No documents in this matter yet. Upload a contract or generate a first draft — specify jurisdiction, parties, and key commercial terms."
Weak empty-state (avoid):
"Get started! Louis makes contracts easy."
Related skills
- [[messaging-compliance-checker]]
- [[messaging-allowed-claims-lawyer]]
- [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]]
- [[messaging-surface-rule-in-app-non-lawyer-fork]]
- [[onboarding-b2c-vs-b2b-fork]]
- [[onboarding-persona-detection-questions]]
1---2name: messaging-surface-rule-in-app-lawyer-fork3description: Use when writing or reviewing in-app copy, onboarding messages, feature tooltips, upsell prompts, or system notifications displayed to users who have been identified or self-declared as licensed legal professionals. The lawyer fork of in-app messaging uses professional framing, productivity claims, and feature positioning appropriate for a practitioner audience — distinct from the consumer fork. Applied by messaging-compliance-checker for any in-app asset tagged to the professional persona.4license: MIT5---67# Messaging — Surface Rule: In-App Lawyer Fork89## When this applies1011Once a user has been classified as a **legal professional** (via persona quiz, email domain, LinkedIn import, or manual declaration during onboarding — see [[onboarding-b2c-vs-b2b-fork]]), all in-app copy shown to that user follows the lawyer-fork rules defined here. This covers:1213- Welcome and onboarding screens (post-persona detection)14- Feature discovery tooltips and walkthroughs15- Empty-state prompts in the drafting board, document workspace, and skills library16- Upsell and plan-upgrade prompts17- System notifications and status messages18- Error messages and escalation prompts19- Settings page descriptions2021The lawyer fork is **not** a relaxation of compliance requirements — it is a different voice, a different vocabulary, and a different value frame. Banned claims for lawyers still apply in full per [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]].2223---2425## Behavior — The Professional Voice2627In-app copy in the lawyer fork assumes the user:28- Holds a law degree and is practicing or has recently practiced29- Understands legal concepts and does not need them explained from scratch30- Has high expectations of accuracy, jurisdictional coverage, and citation quality31- Is evaluating the product against their existing workflow and billing model32- Cares about professional responsibility and will not use a tool that creates malpractice risk3334Copy must reflect these assumptions. Do not over-explain basic legal concepts. Do not use consumer-style "we make law easy!" messaging. Do not imply the user is not competent.3536---3738## Copy Rules by In-App Location3940### Onboarding / Welcome Screen4142| Element | Lawyer fork rule |43|---------|-----------------|44| Welcome headline | Professional register: "Welcome to your legal workbench." / "Your AI-powered research and drafting partner." |45| Sub-copy | State coverage and capability: "Multi-jurisdiction coverage across LB, KSA, UAE, DIFC, ADGM, UK, and more." |46| First action prompt | Task-oriented: "Start with a document review" / "Draft your first contract" / "Research a legal question" |47| Disclaimer | Brief but present: "Louis assists with legal research and drafting; lawyer review and judgment remain essential." |4849### Feature Tooltips and Discovery5051- Lead with the task the feature enables, not the technology behind it52- "Review this contract against standard market terms — Louis flags deviations." (not "AI-powered contract analysis")53- Reference jurisdiction-specific capabilities where relevant: "KSA employment contracts — including Saudization compliance"54- Use professional vocabulary: "liability cap", "indemnification", "governing law", "non-compete enforceability" — assume the user understands these5556### Drafting Board Empty State5758- "Start a new matter — Louis will draft the first pass." (not "Get started with your legal work!")59- "Assign documents to this matter, set the jurisdiction and party positions, and Louis generates a workflow."6061### Upsell / Plan Upgrade Prompts6263- Frame around professional capability expansion, not cost savings64- "Upgrade to Pro for eFirm features: firm playbooks, matter templates, and team assignment."65- "Your current plan includes single-jurisdiction research. Pro unlocks multi-jurisdiction comparison across LB, KSA, UAE, DIFC, ADGM, and UK."66- Never use "save money" framing in lawyer-fork upgrade prompts — the professional audience responds to capability, not cost6768### Error and Escalation Messages6970- Professional register: "This analysis is based on publicly available legal sources. For binding legal opinions or court filings, verify against primary sources."71- Do not use apologetic consumer-style error messages ("Oh no! Something went wrong.")72- Use precise, actionable language: "Document type not recognized — please select the applicable jurisdiction and contract category."7374---7576## Banned Patterns in Lawyer Fork7778These patterns are blocked specifically for the lawyer fork (in addition to the general banned claims):7980- Consumer-style excitement: "You're going to love this!" (wrong register)81- Over-simplification: "Legal made easy!" (condescending to a professional)82- Displacement framing: "Handle this without an associate" (see [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]])83- Fee-threat language: "Save on legal costs" (attacks the lawyer's billing model)84- Competence challenges: "Louis does this better than manual review" (threatening to professional identity)8586---8788## Examples8990**Strong lawyer-fork in-app copy:**91> "Your NDA is ready for review. Louis flagged 3 deviations from DIFC market standard and suggested revisions. You retain full editorial control."9293**Weak in-app copy (avoid on lawyer fork):**94> "Wow, Louis just wrote your NDA! Check it out!"9596**Strong empty-state prompt:**97> "No documents in this matter yet. Upload a contract or generate a first draft — specify jurisdiction, parties, and key commercial terms."9899**Weak empty-state (avoid):**100> "Get started! Louis makes contracts easy."101102---103104## Related skills105106- [[messaging-compliance-checker]]107- [[messaging-allowed-claims-lawyer]]108- [[messaging-banned-claims-lawyer]]109- [[messaging-surface-rule-in-app-non-lawyer-fork]]110- [[onboarding-b2c-vs-b2b-fork]]111- [[onboarding-persona-detection-questions]]
sboghossian