In-House Counsel Stack 2025: Lightweight AI Toolkit Under $200/Month

Why This Stack Matters

Contract review, intake, e-sign, and legal research don’t need enterprise budgets. In 2025, in-house teams can run a practical AI toolkit for under $200/month — lean, secure, and ready to use.

All pricing current as of August 2025. Always verify vendor sites for updates.

Evaluation Criteria

• Affordable: <$200/month total

• Practical: Weekly-use workflows (not “someday features”)

• Lightweight: Runs in Word, Outlook, or browser

• Swappable: Tools you can upgrade or pause as budgets shift

The Recommended Stacks

⚖️ Balanced Solo Counsel Stack (~$196/mo)

Best for generalist in-house lawyers.

• Callidus AI – $149/mo → AI legal research & drafting
  [Affiliate CTA button: “Try Callidus AI →”]

• Dropbox Sign Essentials – ~$15–$20/mo → Unlimited e-signatures
  [Affiliate CTA button: “Get Dropbox Sign →”]

• Otter.ai Pro – $16.99/mo → Meeting recording & searchable notes
  [Affiliate CTA button: “Start Otter Pro →”]

• Termly – $10–$20/mo → Privacy policies & cookie compliance
  [Affiliate CTA button: “Protect Your Website →”]

✅ Works as a full mini legal ops stack without CLM migration.

📑 Microsoft-First Minimalist (~$116/mo)

Best for M365 shops that live in Word/Outlook.

• Microsoft Copilot Pro (individual) – $20/mo → Drafting, summarizing inside Word/Outlook

• Loio – $29.95/mo → Contract review + clause library + templates

• Dropbox Sign Essentials – ~$15–$20/mo → Fast signatures

• Otter.ai Pro – $16.99/mo → Auto-notes

• Perplexity Pro – $20/mo → Fast, source-linked research

• Termly (optional) – $10–$20/mo → Web policy compliance

✅ Keep workflows in Microsoft, spend less, still cover drafting, signatures, and meeting notes.

🛠 Research-Light / Ops-Heavy (<$120/mo)

Best for teams outsourcing deep research but needing strong operations.

• ChatGPT Plus – $20/mo → General drafting & summaries

• Loio – $29.95/mo → Contract templating & redlines

• Dropbox Sign Essentials – ~$15–$20/mo → E-signatures

• Otter.ai Pro – $16.99/mo → Meeting notes

• Termly – $10–$20/mo → Privacy policies

• (Optional) Acrobat AI Assistant – $4.99/mo → Contract Q&A inside PDFs

✅ Stripped-down stack for contract volume, with research sent to external counsel.

Comparison Table

Weekly Workflows You’ll Use

• Draft NDAs & MSAs → Loio templates + Copilot/ChatGPT

• Redline vendor paper → Loio clause scan + fallback playbook

• Record & summarize exec calls → Otter.ai

• Route signatures → Dropbox Sign

• Maintain cookie banners & policies → Termly

• Quick regulatory checks → Perplexity or Callidus AI

Setup in 60 Minutes

1. Pick one stack above.

2. Install Loio add-in for Word.

3. Connect Dropbox Sign with templates.

4. Turn on Otter.ai calendar auto-join.

5. Publish cookie banner & privacy policy via Termly.

6. Start using Callidus/ChatGPT/Copilot for contract drafting and quick memos.

Guardrails

• Always verify: Use AI for speed, not as final counsel.

• Check citations: Especially if drafting research memos.

• Data hygiene: Don’t paste privileged info into unsecured AI tools.

• One human in the loop: Final review stays with counsel.

Final Verdict

You don’t need a $1,500/mo CLM license to modernize legal ops.
With smart choices, $100–$200/mo gets you a functioning AI legal toolkit that covers 80% of in-house needs.