Use Copilot in Word to rewrite a letter section in plain language and check it line by line

What This Does

Letters to clients can read like legal documents, which is hard on a client who reads English as a second language. Copilot in Word can rewrite a selected passage in plainer words while you stay in the document. The risk is that a rewrite quietly drops a point you decided or adds one you did not. This guide pairs the rewrite with a line-by-line comparison table so you catch both.

Before You Start

• Word is open with a letter you wrote and already decided on. The rewrite changes wording only, never your decisions.
• Copilot is available to you. Microsoft's page says Copilot in Word needs an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription or Copilot license, and organization settings can turn features off. If you do not see the Copilot button, ask your IT contact or check Microsoft's license information. No price is stated here because plans differ by firm.
• You can list the points the paragraph must make, in your own words, before you ask for the rewrite.
• Data check. Practice on an invented paragraph. A client's name, A-number, receipt number, address, immigration history, and any asylum, trafficking, abuse or criminal history detail belong in your firm's approved systems only. Run a real client letter through Copilot only if the firm approved Copilot for client data under your confidentiality duties and your state bar's rules on AI use, which you check yourself. Also check what your Microsoft 365 settings say about data retention.
• A fluent human reviewer is available if the letter goes to a client in a language other than English. Copilot supports fewer languages than Word itself, so availability varies.

Steps

1. Write down your points first

Before you open Copilot, list the points the paragraph carries. This list is your answer key.

Invented example paragraph from a letter to Client A, matter IM-26-031:

Your points, in your words:

1. The firm prepares the application packet.
2. The firm starts once the client sends the documents on the checklist.
3. If documents come late, the plan we discussed may change.

2. Rewrite the selected text

Select the paragraph in Word. Microsoft's page says you can select text and choose a preset such as Rewrite for a quick change, or describe the change in your own words in the Copilot chat pane. Use the chat pane when you want control. Paste this:

Rewrite the selected paragraph in plain, short sentences for a reader who reads English as a second language.
Keep exactly these three points and add nothing: (1) the firm prepares the application packet, (2) the firm starts once the client sends the documents on the checklist, (3) if documents come late, the plan we discussed may change.
Do not add any law, deadline, fee, or promise about the result.

Copilot shows its change. Keep it, discard it, or refine it with a follow-up prompt.

3. Fill in the comparison table

Do not accept the rewrite until you have compared it with your answer key. Copy this table into a blank part of the document or a notes file and fill it in:

The last row matters most. A phrase such as "we will finish soon" is a new promise. Delete it.

4. Keep it and finish the letter

When every row says yes and the last row is empty, keep the rewrite. Read the full letter once more as the client would, then follow your normal sign-off before it goes out. If the client reads another language, a fluent human reviewer checks the translated version before you send it.

Real Example

Scenario: Client A's letter has the paragraph shown in Step 1.

What you type: The Step 2 prompt with the three points.

What you get: A short paragraph along these lines (invented): "We will prepare your application packet. We start when you send us the documents on the checklist. If the documents come late, our plan may change." All three points are present and nothing extra appears, so the table shows three yes answers and an empty last row. If the rewrite had said "we will file within a few weeks," you would remove that sentence because you never decided it.

Tips

• Run Copilot's Chat only option with "What parts of this letter may be unclear to a reader who reads English as a second language?" Microsoft's page shows a similar prompt about unclear parts. Use the answer to find the next paragraph to fix, not as a verdict.
• Keep a short list of words your clients stumble over and add it to the prompt.
• Save the answer key and table with the letter draft so a paralegal can see what you decided.

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for Rewrite or another Copilot option near selected text, or use the chat pane.