# Outlex Brand Voice — Canonical The single source of truth for how Outlex sounds. Used in product UI, the website, LinkedIn, sales, investor conversations, support, and everywhere else. This document merges what was previously split between: - `mvp2/.claude/skills/outlex-voice/SKILL.md` (principles + product grammar) - `outlex-marketing/brand/brand-voice.md` (platform-specific examples) Both files now read this canonical and add only their delta: - `voice-product.md` (in-product editorial grammar — Lexi, CTAs, error states) - `voice-marketing.md` (long-form patterns — LinkedIn hooks, blog structure, email) --- ## 1. Who We Are Outlex is an AI legal operating system for European businesses. AI handles 80% of legal work that's routine — contracts, compliance, Q&A, obligation tracking. Real lawyers handle the 20% that needs human judgment, already inside the platform with full context. - **Positioning**: "Your AI Legal Department" - **Mission**: Legal certainty for companies that move fast. - **Audience**: European VC-backed startups (seed to Series B), founders, COOs, CTOs. --- ## 2. Voice Archetype — The Guide with Conviction Morpheus, not Neo. Gandalf, not Frodo. The mentor who's been through the complexity, understands it deeply, and makes the journey possible for the hero — the business leader building something in Europe. Two modes, same voice: - **Guide energy** → product UI, Lexi, support, onboarding, educational content. *"We'll walk you through this."* - **Conviction energy** → LinkedIn, brand storytelling, investor conversations. *"We believe this should exist and we're building it."* The voice never changes. The tone shifts. --- ## 3. Core Personality **Direct · Clear · Detailed · Driven · Reliable · Smart · Human** We speak like a founder who's been through it — not like a law firm. ### We are - Knowledgeable but plain-spoken - Confident but honest about limits - Warm but professional - Opinionated about the industry - European and proud of it - Direct — we get to the point - Problem-first, benefit-driven ### We are not - Jargon-heavy or academic - Overpromising or hand-wavy - Casual/jokey or corporate/cold - Preachy or aggressive - Imitating US SaaS voice - Fluffy or filled with filler - Feature-led or fear-driven --- ## 4. Three Copy Principles (non-negotiable) ### 1. Simplicity Speak without legal jargon, in a way people relate and understand. If a non-lawyer can't parse it in one read, rewrite it. Translate legal complexity — don't dumb it down, don't hide behind it. ### 2. Actionability Make it clear what we do, how we do it, and what the reader should do next. Every piece of copy should leave the reader knowing their next step. No vague promises. No abstract benefits without a concrete path. ### 3. Approachability Sound like a knowledgeable colleague, not a law firm lobby. Serious about outcomes, but human in delivery. The reader should feel invited, not intimidated. --- ## 5. Tone by Context The voice is constant. The tone shifts depending on where we're speaking. | Context | Tone | Example | |---|---|---| | **Website / Product** | Clear, supportive, builds confidence | "Your privacy policy has 3 gaps. Here's how to fix them." | | **LinkedIn / Content** | Educational with an edge — 70% helpful, 30% opinionated | "Most of what you pay your lawyer for isn't legal judgment. It's pattern recognition." | | **Sales / Outreach** | Practical, proof-driven | "Here's what Outlex covers. Here's what it costs. Want to see it?" | | **Investor / Press** | Conviction-forward, grounded | "The complexity that drowns businesses today is the moat that protects whoever solves it first." | | **Support / Onboarding** | Warm, patient | "This is a common question. Here's how it works." | | **Error / Limitation** | Honest, offers a path forward | "Lexi isn't confident on this one. Here's a lawyer who can help." | --- ## 6. Writing Guardrails ### What we never do - Use legalese unless explaining it in the same sentence - Claim AI handles everything — always acknowledge the 20% that needs humans - Call ourselves a "copilot," "assistant," or "tool" — we're a legal department, a legal OS - Write in passive voice when active is clearer - Lead with features — start with the problem, show the solution - Use fear as the engine toward the product — inform and empower, never weaponize ### What we're careful about - **Benefits, not fear.** "Here's how to close the gap" not "You're at risk!" - **Problems we solve, not features we have.** Start from daily reality, show it's solved. - **Business decisions, not legal categories.** "You're hiring in Germany and here's what you need to know" not "Employment law compliance module." - **Specific over general.** "AI reviews your NDA in 30 seconds and flags the indemnity clause that doesn't work under German law" beats "AI-powered contract analysis." - **Honest over polished.** "We're a small team building something ambitious" beats "We're the leading legal technology platform." ### Banned phrases | Don't write | Write instead | |---|---| | "Leverage" / "Synergy" / "Unlock" | Say what you actually mean | | "Streamline your workflow" | Describe the specific improvement | | "AI-powered solution" | What the AI actually does | | "Empower your team" | What the team can now do | | "Leading platform" | What makes us different, specifically | | "End-to-end" | What it actually covers | | "Seamless" / "Frictionless" | Describe the experience | | "Best-in-class" | Show, don't claim | | "Per our previous communication" | "Following up on what we discussed:" | | "Comprehensive solution" | What it actually includes | --- ## 7. The Originality Test Before publishing anything, ask: 1. Would a smart business leader trust this? 2. Would they share it? 3. Could this have been written by any other company? If the answer to #3 is yes, rewrite it. If it could be on any SaaS website with the product name swapped out, it's not Outlex. --- ## 8. How We Talk About AI We are an AI product. When referencing generic LLMs, we're not anti-AI — we're pro-better-AI. The distinction is always: **general-purpose AI** (trained mostly on US legal content, no accountability) vs. **purpose-built legal AI** (trained on EU law across 27 jurisdictions, with confidence scoring and human backup). Outlex isn't the alternative to AI — it's what AI for legal should actually look like when it's built for Europe. --- ## 9. Key Phrases (reference, not copy-paste) | Phrase | Use for | |---|---| | "When given two choices, we decided to build a third." | Origin stories, About page, investor conversations | | "AI handles the 80%. Real lawyers handle the 20%." | Any conversation about how Outlex works | | "Your AI Legal Department" | Website hero, LinkedIn banner, email signatures | | "Purpose-built, not general-purpose." | AI differentiation vs. ChatGPT | | "Documents, compliance, and counsel — one platform." | Product descriptions, feature overviews | | "Built for Europe's 27 legal systems." | Positioning, competitive comparisons | --- ## 10. Quick Self-Check Before finalizing any piece of copy, verify: - [ ] Would I understand this if I had zero legal background? - [ ] Is the next action clear? - [ ] Does it start with a problem or recognition, not a feature? - [ ] Is every claim specific (numbers, examples, named jurisdictions)? - [ ] Could another company say this? If yes, rewrite. - [ ] Does it sound like The Guide with Conviction — or like a generic SaaS? --- ## Where to go next - For **in-product copy** (CTAs, error states, Lexi messages, onboarding microcopy): see `voice-product.md` (period-on-CTA rule, italic-on-human-word rule, Lexi confidence grammar). - For **long-form / marketing copy** (LinkedIn posts, blog articles, sales emails, investor decks): see `voice-marketing.md` (platform-specific structures, hook patterns, ❌/✅ examples). Both extend this canonical and own only their delta. If a rule conflicts between this file and a layer file, the layer file's rule applies in its specific context.