Sullivan & Cromwell builds Agreement Analyzer on Codex and ChatGPT Enterprise
Sullivan & Cromwell partner John Savva built Agreement Analyzer as a single-user proof of concept with Codex, then worked with OpenAI to improve output quality, add parallel processing and make the tool usable by several lawyers at once. The tool combines the firm's workflows, curated precedents, negotiating playbooks and ChatGPT Enterprise, runs multiple review cycles from different perspectives and returns a memorandum plus proposed tracked changes for lawyers to review, adapt or reject. Savva also described a design in which agents challenge each other's conclusions, separating findings that survive challenge from dismissed ones and unverified issues kept with qualifications, and credited GPT‑6 Astra's reasoning advances with moving this kind of analysis forward.
The case shows a law firm folding curated precedents, playbooks and ChatGPT Enterprise into one agreement-review workflow in which lawyers inspect each finding and its supporting sources.
For lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell, reviewing a draft agreement includes weighing its terms against relevant precedents, using approaches based on the Firm’s experience and being mindful of a client’s priorities. The firm’s Agreement Analyzer brings those inputs into a single review workflow, producing analysis and proposed changes that lawyers can inspect and refine.
“I think AI will . . . allow lawyers to focus on the areas where their judgment is most important . . . so they can concentrate on the questions that are most critical for their clients.”
—John Savva, Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell
Bringing firm expertise into agreement review
Though AI was initially used most for repetitive, administrative tasks like drafting email responses or checking calendars, Savva finds that recent improvements in AI models’ analytical capabilities have changed its usage. “Now, we’re seeing many more opportunities for use in challenging legal tasks such as deep analysis of complex agreements,” he says.
Agreement Analyzer helps lawyers compare corresponding provisions across precedents and track how those provisions interact.
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