August
Getting Started

Getting Started with August

Use this guide to get oriented quickly and start useful work in August. It covers access, navigation, and core workflows in one place.

Accessing August

From the web

  1. Open your browser and navigate to app.august.law.

  2. Sign in using your firm email and credentials.

  3. Bookmark the page for quick access.

Adding as a Word Add-in (one-time setup)

  1. In Word, go to Insert, then Get Add-ins.

  2. Search for August.

  3. Click Add to install.

  4. Open August from the ribbon icon and sign in.

For detailed system requirements, see Installation and Sign-In.

This video walks through adding the August Word Add-in to Microsoft Word

How August is Organized

August is organized around projects. You start with a default Personal project, then create additional projects as needed to separate matters.

Within a project, the main sidebar areas are:

  • Assistant: Ask questions about documents, folders, or the web. Get answers with citations. Continue refining in one thread.

  • Folders: Organize source documents by matter, document type, or review phase.

  • Tabular Review: Turn large document sets into structured comparison tables with cited answers.

  • Workflows: Automate repeatable legal tasks and run them on demand or on a schedule.

  • Playbooks: Capture your team's preferred positions, fallbacks, and flags for consistent review.

  • Live Assist: Transcribe legal conversations in real time and cross-reference statements against uploaded documents.

  • Chat history: Reopen earlier conversations and continue work without starting over.

This video demonstrates how to create projects.

Start in Assistant

Assistant is the main starting point for most legal tasks. Use it to ask questions, draft documents, analyze materials, and produce work product.

  1. Open Assistant in the correct project.

  2. Decide whether you're starting with a question, a drafting task, or a review task.

  3. Upload or attach the materials relevant to the task.

  4. Ask for one clear outcome: a summary, issue spot, comparison, or first draft.

  5. Review the cited support before you accept the answer.

  6. Refine with follow-up instructions rather than starting over.

This video shows how to query in Assistant.

Uploading Documents

Using Folders (for repeat use)

  1. Click Folders in the sidebar.

  2. Click Create folder, name it for your client or matter.

  3. Drag and drop files, or click Upload file to add documents.

  4. Attach an entire folder to a chat or use it as source for a Tabular Review.

This video shows how to upload and move folders between projects.

Quick uploads (for one-off use)

  1. In Assistant, click the Files button to upload files directly.

    Plus button

  2. Use @mentions to pull in specific items quickly.

Writing Good Prompts

Use this formula: Task + Context + Format. Tell August what to do, provide relevant background, and specify the output structure you want.

Example: "Summarize this agreement and identify key obligations in bullet points."

For detailed prompting patterns and mode-specific guidance, see Prompting Guide for August by Mode.

When to Move Beyond Assistant

Stay in Assistant when the task is conversational or iterative. Move to another feature when the work needs a more specialized format:

  • Use Tabular Review for multi-document tables and repeatable extraction.

  • Use Playbooks when you want review to reflect firm standards.

  • Use Workflows for recurring tasks you want to automate.

  • Use Live Assist for real-time transcription and cross-referencing during live conversations.

Choosing the Right Mode

Assistant offers multiple operating modes optimized for different needs. The default Agent mode works well for most day-to-day tasks. Other modes offer different speed-depth tradeoffs:

  • Agent — Fast, balanced reasoning for daily work

  • Genius — Slow, polished outputs for multi-step assembly

  • Deep Thinking — Methodical analysis with visible reasoning

  • Manual — Precise control over each step

For detailed guidance on when to use each mode, see Choosing the Right Mode.

Verify Outputs Before Relying on Them

August is designed for source-grounded legal work. Every output includes citations that trace back to underlying documents.

Always validate before you share client-facing or partner-facing work. Check the cited material before you rely on an output.

For detailed guidance on how citations work and how to validate outputs, see How August Handles Sources and Citations.

Best Practices

  • Use naming conventions: Include client matter numbers when creating folders.

  • Verify outputs: Always review AI-generated outputs before relying on them.

  • Check citations: Confirm key citations, clause references, and legal conclusions independently.

  • Start with one outcome: Ask for a summary, issue spot, or first draft rather than trying to complete everything in one prompt.

  • Follow firm policy: Do not upload client-privileged materials unless authorized.

Keep Learning

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