Drafting in Paxton AI

Three Ways to Start
A prompt
You want Paxton to build the document from your matter files and the governing law.
A document you've written
You have a brief, contract, or letter whose structure you want to reuse.
A template
Your firm or the court requires specific fonts, margins, captions, or styles.
These stack. A typical draft uses all three: your matter files supply the facts, a prior brief supplies the shape, and a template supplies the formatting at download.
ℹ️ You don't attach files to a drafting request. Everything already in the matter is in context. Naming a document in your prompt tells Paxton which one to lean on — it isn't required for Paxton to read it.
Start from a Prompt
Open the matter, confirm the jurisdiction, and describe the document. Paxton drafts from the matter's full file set — you only need to point at specific documents when you want a particular one relied on.
A strong drafting prompt names five things:
The document — motion for partial summary judgment, demand letter, discovery responses.
The court or recipient — so Paxton applies the right rules and tone.
The record to use — name specific matter files, or say "the record in this matter" and let Paxton search it.
The outcome — what the document has to establish or ask for.
The constraints — length, required sections, arguments to preserve or leave out.
✅ Adding "flag every assertion not supported by an attached file" turns the draft into a to-do list.
Start from a Document You've Written
Point Paxton at an existing work product and it will follow that document's structure, headings, and organization while replacing the substance with this matter's facts.
Name the model document. If it's already in the matter, just refer to it — "follow the structure of
Smith_MSJ_2024.docx." Nothing to attach.If it isn't in the matter, add it. Use 📎 for a one-off, or Manage Matter Files if you'll reuse it.
Say which is which — make clear which document supplies the format and which supply the facts. Everything else in the matter is already available for the substance.
More prompts to adapt
Draft a new agreement off a prior one
Match an opposing filing section for section
ℹ️ Starting points to refine, not finished filings. Review every carried-over provision — a clause that fit the prior matter may not fit this one.
Finish with Your Formatting
A template controls how the document looks — fonts, margins, headings, numbering, captions, styles. It does not change a word of your draft.
Open the draft in the Canvas panel.
Click the template icon in the Canvas toolbar, top right.
Choose: Upload to add a new template file, or Select Template to reuse a saved one.
Download — the file arrives with that formatting applied.
🖼️ Screenshot goes here: The template control sits in the Canvas toolbar, above the draft.
ℹ️ Formatting is applied at download. Your draft is not regenerated, so the content stays exactly as written.
Upload each standard once and reuse it forever: firm letterhead, brief formatting for each venue you appear in, pleading paper with your jurisdiction's caption block, your standard agreement styles.
FAQ
Does applying a template change my draft's wording?
No. Templates affect formatting only. The substantive content stays exactly as written.
Can I change templates after choosing one?
Yes. Open the template menu again, select a different template, and download again.
What if a fact isn't in my matter files?
It won't be in the draft — and shouldn't be added without support. Add the document that establishes it to the matter, or ask Paxton to flag the gap so you can fill it yourself.
Do I need to attach files every time I ask for a draft?
No. Every file in the matter is in context for every chat in that matter. Attach a file only when you want to bring in something that isn't part of the matter's record.
Can Paxton draft from a document I uploaded months ago?
Yes. Matter files stay in context indefinitely. A chat you start today reaches everything added to the matter since it opened.
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