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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

Anthropic’s
Free AI
Lawyer

Claude for Legal put a full set of legal plugins inside Claude. Here are 3 things non-lawyers can use today, with the exact setup and a copy-paste prompt for each.

In May 2026 Anthropic launched Claude for Legal: more than 20 new connectors to legal software and 12 practice-area plugins, each built around a specific legal role. The plugins are open source, and they work on every paid Claude plan. At launch, Harvey’s CEO said Claude Opus 4.7 scored 90.9% on Harvey’s BigLaw Bench, the highest of any Claude model at the time. (Anthropic’s launch post)

You don’t need a law degree to use it. Three of the things inside are exactly what freelancers, creators and small business owners run into all the time.

How To Set It Up
  1. Check your plan. Plugins work on every paid plan (Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise). On the free plan, skip the plugins and use the copy-paste prompts below. They still work.
  2. Open the plugin library. In the left sidebar, open Customize. It’s being renamed Plugins, so you may see that name instead. Go to the plugins list and open Discover.
  3. Add the two you need. Pick IP Legal (cease and desist letters) and Litigation Legal (demand letters), then click Add. For contracts, add Commercial Legal. If one isn’t listed, you can get it from the GitHub link below.
  4. Run the setup interview first. Type / and pick the plugin’s cold-start interview. It asks how you work and what documents to learn from, so its answers fit you instead of being generic. The full version takes 10 to 20 minutes, and there’s a quick-start option if you want to go now.

Then type / in a chat to see the plugin’s skills. (How plugins work · The plugins on GitHub)

1. Clause-By-Clause Contract Review

Upload any contract you’ve been handed, like an offer letter, a vendor agreement, a lease or a freelance SOW, and have Claude rate every clause green, yellow or red by risk. That’s what makes this different from a normal AI summary.

Green is standard language. Yellow is unusual but defensible. Red quietly hands the other side leverage you didn’t know you were giving up. Claude doesn’t become your lawyer here. You just walk into the conversation knowing which three clauses to push back on.

Attach the contract as a PDF (this works on the free plan too), then paste:

Contract Review
You are a careful contract reviewer helping someone who is not a lawyer understand a contract before they sign it. I am [my role, e.g. "the freelancer," "the tenant," "the new hire"] and the other side is [who they are]. The contract is attached. What matters most to me: [e.g. getting paid on time, being able to leave early, keeping ownership of my work]. STEP 1. Read the whole contract before you comment on anything. STEP 2. Go clause by clause. For each one give me: - A one-sentence plain-English summary of what it actually means for me. - A rating: GREEN (standard and fair), YELLOW (unusual but defensible) or RED (heavily favors the other side or hides a real risk). - For YELLOW or RED: quote the exact language, explain the risk in one line, and suggest a fairer rewrite I could propose. STEP 3. List anything important that is MISSING (for example a payment deadline, a cap on my liability, a way to end the contract). STEP 4. Finish with my top 3 clauses to negotiate, ranked by how much they affect me, plus one short, friendly sentence I could use to raise each one. RULES: - Quote the contract exactly. Never paraphrase a clause and call it a quote. - If a clause depends on the law where I live, say so instead of guessing. My location is [state or country]. - Plain language, no filler. Remind me at the end which items are worth showing a real attorney.

Want Claude to check every contract against your own rules automatically? Here’s how to set up the Commercial Legal plugin.

2. Cease And Desist Letters

If you create anything online, sooner or later someone will use your work without permission. A photo, your copy, a course module, your brand name, a product shot lifted off your site.

The IP Legal plugin drafts and responds to cease and desist letters and handles DMCA takedowns. You describe what was taken, by whom, where and what you want, and Claude drafts a formal letter you can send yourself or hand to an attorney for a quick review.

Cease And Desist
You are helping me draft a firm, professional cease and desist letter. I am not a lawyer, and I will review this before sending it or have an attorney look at it. THE FACTS: - My name or business: [full legal name or business name] - What I own: [the photo, copy, design, course content or brand name] and how I can prove it: [original files with dates, registration number, first publish date and link] - Who is using it: [their name or business, website, contact email] - Where and when: [URLs, platform, dates you found it; screenshots attached if you have them] - What I want: [take it down within X days, credit, payment for past use] - My location: [state or country] STEP 1. Before drafting, tell me in plain English whether this sounds like a copyright issue, a trademark issue, both, or neither, and what that means for the letter. If the facts are too thin to say, list what I need to add. STEP 2. Draft the letter with: - A clear identification of my work and my ownership. - The specific use, with dates and URLs. - The basis for my claim, described accurately for the issue type from Step 1. - The exact remedies I'm asking for and a clear deadline (usually 7 to 14 days). - A calm statement that I will consider further action if it's ignored. STEP 3. Give me a short checklist of what to attach and how to send it so I have proof it was delivered. RULES: - Firm and professional. No empty threats, no exclamation marks, no flowery language. - Don't invent laws, case names or dollar amounts. If something depends on my location, flag it for me to check. - If a platform takedown (like a DMCA notice to the host) would be faster, tell me that too.
3. Demand Letters For Unpaid Invoices

Every freelancer has chased a client who ghosted on a payment. The polite follow-up gets ignored, then the second one, and by week six you’re writing the kind of email that ends a relationship you wanted to keep.

Demand letters are one of the jobs built into the Litigation Legal plugin. A clear, formal letter with the invoice details, your follow-up history and a firm deadline tells the client you’ve stopped politely asking.

Demand Letter
You are helping me write a formal demand letter for an unpaid invoice. I want it firm, factual and professional, so the client knows I've stopped politely asking but the relationship isn't burned for no reason. THE DETAILS: - My name or business: [name] - Client name or business: [name and contact info] - Invoice number and date: [number, date] - What I delivered: [short description and delivery date] - Amount owed: [$] - Original due date: [date] - Late fee or interest terms in our agreement: [quote them, or "none"] - Follow-ups I've already sent: [dates and how, e.g. "email 9/3, email 9/17, text 10/1"] - Written contract or signed SOW: [yes or no; attached if yes] - My location: [state or country] STEP 1. Draft a one-page demand letter that: - Reminds them what was agreed and what I delivered. - Lists the invoice number, amount and how long it's overdue. - Notes my earlier follow-ups by date. - Asks for payment in full within 10 business days and tells them exactly how to pay. - States that I will pursue other options, such as small claims court or collections, if it isn't paid by then. STEP 2. Write a 3-sentence cover email to send with the letter. STEP 3. Tell me the next step if they still don't pay, including what to look up about small claims limits where I live. RULES: - Only add late fees or interest if they're in our agreement. Never make up a legal right. - No emotion, no insults, no threats I can't follow through on. - Format the letter ready to paste onto my letterhead.

Heads Up

Claude is not a lawyer. For anything high-stakes, like a mortgage, an equity grant or a six-figure deal, use this as your first pass and take the flagged items to a real attorney. Rules on things like late fees and small claims limits change by state and country, so check yours before you send.