You can create clear, compliant narratives for your time entries using Laurel's AI-powered writing tools and reusable templates. This article explains how to use Laurel's tools to quickly write professional narratives that meet your firm's compliance standards while saving time on repetitive text.
Please note that some firms use the term "descriptions" on their time entries instead of "narratives." The term "narrative" is used throughout this article, but "narrative" and "description" are the same thing in the Laurel interface.
What you'll need:
Access to the Laurel Web App.
An existing time entry or the ability to create a new one.
Creating and editing narratives
Step 1: Open a time entry for editing
Create a new entry using any method in Laurel, or click on an unreleased entry you want to edit. The Edit Entry modal will open where you can work on your narrative.
Step 2: Click into the narrative field
Click into the Narrative text field.
If you created your time entry from activities in your Work Activity panel, you'll see a suggested narrative generated by Laurel's AI model. This suggestion is based on the Work Activities you selected for the entry, and is written in the style and tone of narratives you've released from Laurel in the past.
If you created your entry manually, the field will start blank.
Step 3: Edit your narrative text
Edit your narrative until you're satisfied with the description. As you type, the Laurel Writer will provide predictive suggestions based on phrases and patterns from your previously released narratives. Press the Tab key or click on the suggested text to insert it into your narrative.
The gray compliance bar above the Narrative field will automatically update to show whether your narrative meets your firm's compliance standards at the firm, matter, and client levels.
Step 4: Further improve your narrative with AI (optional)
Use the Laurel Writer to enhance your narrative's clarity and completeness. Look for the purple box beneath the narrative field and click the "Improve with AI" button.
The Laurel Writer will suggest content based on your previously released narratives and your firm's compliance standards. Once a suggestion appears, you have three options:
Click the "Dismiss suggestion" button, labeled with an X, to dismiss the suggestion.
Click the "Try again" button to generate a new suggestion. This button looks like two arrows forming a circle.
Click "Replace" to accept the suggested text.
Step 5: Save your entry
When you're satisfied with your narrative and finished editing, click the green "Save" button at the top of the Edit Entry modal to save your time entry.
Creating and using narrative templates
Narrative templates are reusable phrases or sentences you can set up with keyboard shortcuts for faster narrative creation.
Step 1: Access your Laurel Settings
Click the "Settings" button in the bottom-left corner, which is a circle that contains your initials. Next, select "Your Account" from the menu at left.
Step 2: Navigate to the narratives section
Click the Narratives tab at the top of the Account Settings page.
Step 3: Create a new template
Click the "Add New" button to create a template.
Step 4: Fill in the template details
Provide the following information for your template:
Name: Enter a descriptive name for how you'll use this template.
Shortcut: Type the numbers, letters, or symbols you want to use to access this template.
Narrative: Add the word, phrase, or sentence you want to save as a template.
Step 5: Save your template
Click the "Save" button beneath the narrative text field, then click the "Save" button in the upper right corner of the Account Settings page. Always verify your template is saved before leaving the Narratives tab.
Step 6: Use your template in a time entry
Open or create a time entry and click into the Narrative field. Press the forward slash (/) key to activate shortcuts. A menu will display your available templates. Type your shortcut until the menu filters to your selection, then press the Enter key to insert the template.
If you're having trouble:
If the template isn't appearing with keyboard shortcut: Navigate to the Narratives tab in your Account Settings and verify the template is saved properly. You must click "Save" within the Narratives tab and the "Save" button at the top of the Account Settings page. Also check that your shortcut doesn't conflict with another template's shortcut.
If the keyboard shortcut isn't working: Make sure you press the forward slash (/) key first to activate shortcuts before typing your shortcut sequence.
If compliance alerts appear: A compliance alert means that Laurel found a conflict between your narrative and your firm's compliance standards. Hover over the red exclamation mark in the gray bar above the Narrative field to see specific guidance on how to adjust your narrative. Laurel will automatically recheck compliance as you edit.
What happens next
Your narrative will be included in your time entry and checked against your organization's compliance requirements when you release the entry. When you release entries with complete narratives, Laurel uses them to train its AI model on your writing style, which improves Laurel's ability to generate narratives for you over time.