Grapple is an AI-based legal document creator developed by specialist UK employment lawyers, Monaco Solicitors.
It’s been designed primarily for use by individuals who are involved in workplace disagreements with their employers. Grapple offers its users help with finding a solution to their workplace issues and staying in their employment, or in seeking financial compensation and leaving their job by way of a settlement, or employment tribunal claim.
What does Grapple do?
Grapple uses artificial intelligence to create a range of customised legal documents for employment law cases, quickly and accurately.
The documents it produces relate to the different stages of an individual’s work-related problem. So, for example, someone might want to write a grievance letter to their employer in an attempt to resolve their problem early on. Or they might want to create a ‘without prejudice’ letter, if their problem can’t be resolved by means of the grievance process and has escalated into a dispute.
If their employers won’t offer a fair settlement, then the employee may have to take their case to an employment tribunal. In those circumstances, Grapple can also help the claimant write the ‘details of claim’ to include in their employment tribunal claim form.
Who is Grapple for?
Grapple has been designed primarily for use by individual employees who are being treated badly by their employers. It is particularly valuable for individuals who can’t afford a lawyer, or else can’t find a lawyer who will take on their case because it’s not worth the lawyer’s while.
Initial trials also indicate that it has potential to assist lawyers who want to speed up their document creation, and for trainee/junior lawyers to help them further develop their legal drafting skills.
How does Grapple work?
Grapple can be accessed by way of a laptop or smartphone. It asks the user a few straightforward questions about their case and – based on the information input – creates a document or letter tailored specifically to the case and the stage it’s at. The document can be downloaded and specific case details can be edited.
It’s very easy to use and doesn’t require any technical skills, over and above those associated with basic everyday use of a computer/mobile phone. It also doesn’t need users to have any legal knowledge, and the user guidance is written in non-legal plain English.
This makes the process of dealing with workplace disputes less daunting for non-legal users and also gives them a better chance than they would otherwise have to stand up for their employment rights and get access to justice.
Challenges and considerations
Even though Grapple undoubtedly has a lot to offer, it can give rise to some issues amongst users and potential users.
Amongst individual users, Monaco has found in their trials to date that (perhaps not surprisingly) cost is a key issue. So at this stage in its development, they are providing most of the Grapple features as a free service.
They also report that younger users are taking more readily to Grapple than older people, possibly because they are more confident about dealing with legal matters using an AI-based tool on a self-help basis.
For legal professionals who might consider using Grapple in their own practice, concerns about accuracy, data privacy/security, and the ethical implications of incorporating AI into legal practice are likely to be more important. Additionally, there may be resistance to change among some legal professionals who prefer traditional document drafting methods.
Alex Monaco, founder of Monaco Solicitors, and Grapple owner also reiterates that: “AI is not replacing humans, it’s not replacing lawyers. What it is doing is supercharging people’s understanding and implementation of their legal rights.”
