How do Actionstep Intelligence and Qanooni work together?
Actionstep Intelligence and Qanooni connect two complementary parts of a law firm's workflow. Actionstep remains the practice-management system of record and applies AI to firm operations. Qanooni uses authorised Actionstep matter context to help lawyers perform bespoke legal work in Microsoft Word and Outlook. Together, they keep operational information and legal work connected around the same matter.
Actionstep is investing significantly in AI through Actionstep Intelligence. For firms using Qanooni alongside Actionstep, that creates a connected environment: intelligence around how the firm operates, together with matter-aware AI that helps lawyers carry out the legal work within individual matters.
Qanooni connects to the authorised matter context held in Actionstep and makes that context available while lawyers work in Word and Outlook. They can draft, review, research, analyse and produce matter-specific work without manually reconstructing the file each time they use AI.
Bringing the business of law and the practice of law together
Actionstep Intelligence helps firms use the operational information generated across the practice. Qanooni uses the context of an individual Actionstep matter to support the legal work being performed on that file.
Actionstep's currently published AI capabilities include Trace, which supports passive time and revenue capture, and Acumen, which provides business intelligence and reporting. Actionstep has also outlined additional capabilities across search and workflow execution. Its official AI page is the source of truth for current availability and roadmap status.
Qanooni approaches the connected workflow from the lawyer's working day. It combines authorised matter information with the firm's precedents, playbooks and working style so the lawyer can produce the work the matter requires.
That work is not limited to a fixed output menu. Drafting, review and legal research are useful entry points. Depending on the matter, Qanooni can also help produce a chronology, a structured review table, an issues analysis, correspondence, advice or another bespoke work product. The matter defines the work.
How does the connected Actionstep workflow work?
The important part of the Qanooni Actionstep integration is context. Lawyers work in Word and Outlook using authorised information already held against the Actionstep matter, and completed work remains connected to the matter record.
- Select the relevant Actionstep matter. The lawyer opens or chooses the matter they are working on.
- Retrieve authorised matter context. Qanooni retrieves the relevant matter details, documents and correspondence available to that user.
- Work in Word or Outlook. The lawyer carries out the task in the Microsoft 365 applications where drafting, review and correspondence already take place.
- Produce the legal work the matter requires. Qanooni assists with drafting, review, research, analysis or another piece of bespoke work product using the connected context.
- Maintain the continuing matter record. Completed work can be saved back to the Actionstep matter, keeping the record and later work connected.
This removes the need to upload documents into a separate AI application and explain the history of the file again for every task. For a deeper explanation of why that matters, read Understanding the Matter, Not Just the Document.
From matter information to legal work
A connected system becomes most useful when viewed through the work lawyers actually need to do during the life of a matter.
A lawyer may need to understand what has happened, identify what remains outstanding, research a legal issue, prepare advice, review a document against the firm's preferred position and draft the next piece of correspondence. Those tasks are related. Correspondence may explain why a clause was negotiated. Documents may establish the chronology. Earlier decisions may determine what needs to happen next. A precedent or playbook may determine how the firm wants a document drafted or reviewed.
By connecting Qanooni to the Actionstep matter, that wider context can follow the lawyer into Word and Outlook. Actionstep holds the matter, its documents, correspondence, data and workflows. Qanooni helps the lawyer use that context to produce the legal work the matter requires.
Qanooni entry points for Actionstep matters
Lawyers can begin from different types of legal work depending on what the matter requires. These are starting points, not product boundaries.
AI Draft, QDraftQDraft helps lawyers prepare documents and correspondence using the facts of the matter, relevant precedents and the firm's drafting style.
AI Review, QRedlineQRedline reviews documents against the firm's preferred positions and playbooks, identifies deviations and suggests alternative wording for the lawyer to consider.
Legal Research, QCounselQCounsel supports jurisdiction-specific legal research using cited legal authorities and connects that research to the circumstances of the matter.
The same connected context can support the next piece of work required on the file, whether that is a chronology, a review table, an issues analysis, advice, correspondence or another bespoke matter deliverable.
How playbooks connect firm knowledge with matter context
Qanooni Playbooks combine what is happening on a particular Actionstep matter with how the firm wants legal work to be carried out.
Playbooks capture preferred positions, drafting approaches, review criteria and internal guidance. A lawyer can therefore ask Qanooni not simply to review a document, but to review it against the firm's own position.
For example, Qanooni can identify clauses that fall outside an agreed playbook, explain the deviation and propose alternative drafting for the lawyer to consider. The Actionstep matter provides the context. The playbook provides the firm's approach. The lawyer retains control of the final decision.
How to test matter-aware AI on an Actionstep matter
Use a genuine matter that is already under way. The test is whether the AI can understand and work with the context the firm already holds, not simply whether it can generate text from a new prompt.
- Where does this matter currently stand, and what appears to remain outstanding?
- Build a chronology of the relevant events from the matter record.
- Identify the principal legal, factual and commercial issues.
- Based on the matter so far, what work product is likely to be required next?
- Review that work against the firm's playbook and identify the sources supporting the material conclusions.
The exercise tests whether matter information can be turned into useful legal work while preserving the connection to the practice-management system. For a broader evaluation framework, see How to Choose a Legal AI Tool in 2026.
One matter, connected intelligence
Actionstep Intelligence and Qanooni are complementary parts of a broader direction for law firms. Actionstep applies intelligence to the operation, performance and workflows of the firm. Qanooni brings matter-aware AI into the legal work being performed on the individual matter.
Connecting those environments means firms can continue to use Actionstep as the foundation of their practice while giving lawyers access to matter context in the applications where much of their drafting, review and correspondence already takes place.
The opportunity is not to replace one system with another. It is to make the information already held within the firm's systems more useful at the point where lawyers need to do the work.
Frequently asked questions
Does Actionstep have AI built in?
Yes. Actionstep Intelligence is Actionstep's native AI layer. Its currently published capabilities include Trace for AI-assisted time and revenue capture and Acumen for AI-enhanced business intelligence. Actionstep also lists AI-orchestrated workflow automation as coming soon.
How do Actionstep Intelligence and Qanooni work together?
Actionstep remains the practice-management system of record for the matter. Qanooni uses authorised matter context from Actionstep to help lawyers perform bespoke legal work in Microsoft Word and Outlook. Completed work can then form part of the continuing Actionstep matter record.
Does Qanooni replace Actionstep Intelligence?
No. They are complementary. Actionstep Intelligence applies AI to the operation, performance and workflows of the firm. Qanooni brings matter-aware AI into the legal work lawyers perform using the information held against the Actionstep matter.
Where do lawyers use Qanooni with Actionstep?
Lawyers use Qanooni in Microsoft Word and Outlook. The integration connects those applications to authorised matter details, documents and correspondence held in Actionstep, so lawyers can work with matter context without rebuilding it for each task.
What legal work can Qanooni perform using Actionstep context?
Qanooni supports the bespoke legal work the matter requires. Drafting, review and legal research are starting points, not fixed boundaries. Depending on the matter, the work may include chronologies, structured review tables, issues analysis, correspondence, advice and other matter-specific work product.
Can completed work be saved back to the Actionstep matter?
Yes. Completed work can be saved to the relevant Actionstep matter with the connected record maintained, so the matter remains the continuing source of context for later work.
How long does the Qanooni Actionstep setup take?
Qanooni connects to a firm's authorised Actionstep matters without a data migration. Teams typically begin working with live matters within days, with the firm's playbooks, precedents and drafting style configured during onboarding.
How does Qanooni verify legal citations?
Qanooni is retrieval-first. Legal research uses cited legal authorities and shows the supporting source so a lawyer can verify material conclusions before work goes out. If a source cannot be found and verified, the system says so.