Building Git-Style Legal Infrastructure: LakeFS Implementation Guide
Complete technical walkthrough: LakeFS setup, branch policies, merge hooks, and legal document versioning with working code examples.
The Problem: Legal Document Chaos
You've built a growing company, and suddenly you're drowning in contract versions. Your legal team is emailing Word docs back and forth, lawyers are losing track of which version has the latest changes, and nobody knows if the contract in production matches what compliance approved.
Sound familiar? This is the reality for most engineering teams when legal documents meet software development workflows. We needed version control for contracts—but not just any version control. We needed something that could enforce legal compliance, manage review workflows, and integrate with our existing engineering processes.
Why LakeFS? The Git Experience for Legal Documents
LakeFS gives you git-style operations on object storage—perfect for legal documents that live in S3 or similar systems. Instead of managing Word doc email chains, you get:
- Branches: Draft contracts live in isolated review branches
- Merge policies: Automated compliance checks before any contract goes live
- Hooks: Custom validation and approval workflows
- Audit trails: Complete history of who changed what and when
The real magic happens when you combine LakeFS with AI agents for automated contract review.
What You'll Learn
This guide provides a complete technical implementation for building git-style legal document infrastructure. By the end, you'll have:
Core Infrastructure:
- LakeFS setup with Docker and production Kubernetes deployment
- Automated branch protection policies for legal compliance
- Document versioning with cryptographic integrity verification
- Multi-agent integration for parallel contract review workflows
Advanced Features:
- Pre-merge hooks that validate legal requirements automatically
- Conflict resolution for concurrent document modifications
- Complete audit trail generation for regulatory compliance
- Performance optimization for processing hundreds of contracts
- Comprehensive testing framework for legal workflow validation
Production Deployment:
- Kubernetes manifests with proper security and monitoring
- Integration with Prometheus for metrics and alerting
- Load balancing and scaling for high-volume contract processing
- Backup and disaster recovery configurations
Prerequisites: Docker, Kubernetes, Python 3.8+, AWS CLI, basic understanding of git workflows
Estimated Setup Time: 2-3 hours for local development, 4-6 hours for production deployment
Architecture Overview
Here's how we built a git-style legal infrastructure that scales:
Core Components
Getting Started: LakeFS Infrastructure Setup
The first step is getting LakeFS running in a way that can handle legal document workflows at scale. We'll start with Docker for local development, then show you the production Kubernetes setup.
Docker Compose Configuration
1version: '3.8'
2services:
3 lakefs:
4 image: treeverse/lakefs:latest
5 ports:
6 - "8000:8000"
7 environment:
8 - LAKEFS_AUTH_ENCRYPT_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
9 - LAKEFS_DATABASE_TYPE=postgres
10 - LAKEFS_DATABASE_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING=postgres://lakefs:lakefs@postgres:5432/lakefs?sslmode=disable
11 - LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_TYPE=s3
12 - LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_S3_REGION=us-east-1
13 - LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_S3_CREDENTIALS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID}
14 - LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_S3_CREDENTIALS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=${AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY}
15 depends_on:
16 - postgres
17 volumes:
18 - ./config/lakefs.yaml:/etc/lakefs.yaml
19
20 postgres:
21 image: postgres:13
22 environment:
23 POSTGRES_USER: lakefs
24 POSTGRES_PASSWORD: lakefs
25 POSTGRES_DB: lakefs
26 volumes:
27 - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
28
29volumes:
30 postgres_data:LakeFS Configuration
1# config/lakefs.yaml
2database:
3 type: postgres
4 postgres:
5 connection_string: postgres://lakefs:lakefs@postgres:5432/lakefs?sslmode=disable
6
7blockstore:
8 type: s3
9 s3:
10 region: us-east-1
11 profile: default
12
13auth:
14 encrypt:
15 secret_key: "your-secret-key-here"
16
17logging:
18 level: INFO
19 output: "-"
20
21actions:
22 enabled: trueThis Docker setup gives you a complete LakeFS environment with PostgreSQL persistence and S3 storage. The key insight here is treating your legal documents like code—with the same level of infrastructure care you'd give your application.
Repository Structure and Branching Strategy
Now comes the crucial part: organizing your legal documents in a way that supports both lawyers and engineers. Here's the structure we landed on after several iterations:
Contract Repository Schema
legal-contracts-repo/
├── active/
│ ├── vendor-agreements/
│ │ ├── aws-enterprise-2024.pdf
│ │ ├── aws-enterprise-2024.metadata.json
│ │ └── aws-enterprise-2024.audit.json
│ ├── employment/
│ │ ├── engineer-template-v3.docx
│ │ ├── engineer-template-v3.metadata.json
│ │ └── engineer-template-v3.audit.json
│ └── partnerships/
├── templates/
│ ├── vendor-agreement-base.docx
│ ├── employment-base.docx
│ └── partnership-base.docx
└── archived/
├── 2023/
├── 2022/
└── historical/
The magic is in the metadata files. Each contract gets three files: the document itself, structured metadata, and an audit trail. This makes contracts searchable, trackable, and automatable.
Branch Protection Policy
The real power comes from protecting your main branch—just like you'd protect your production code. Here's how we set up automated guardrails:
1# branch_policies.py
2from lakefs import LakeFS
3import json
4
5def setup_branch_protection():
6 """Configure branch protection for legal repository"""
7
8 client = LakeFS(
9 host='http://localhost:8000',
10 username='admin',
11 password='admin'
12 )
13
14 # Main branch protection
15 main_protection = {
16 "pattern": "main",
17 "protection_rules": [
18 {
19 "type": "pre_merge_hook",
20 "hook_id": "legal_compliance_check"
21 },
22 {
23 "type": "pre_merge_hook",
24 "hook_id": "conflict_detection"
25 },
26 {
27 "type": "required_reviews",
28 "count": 2,
29 "required_reviewers": ["legal-team", "compliance-team"]
30 },
31 {
32 "type": "prevent_force_push",
33 "enabled": True
34 }
35 ]
36 }
37
38 # Review branch naming convention
39 review_branch_pattern = {
40 "pattern": "review/*",
41 "protection_rules": [
42 {
43 "type": "pre_commit_hook",
44 "hook_id": "document_validation"
45 },
46 {
47 "type": "pre_commit_hook",
48 "hook_id": "metadata_generation"
49 }
50 ]
51 }
52
53 client.create_branch_protection_rule(
54 repository='legal-contracts',
55 rules=[main_protection, review_branch_pattern]
56 )This policy ensures that every contract change requires approval from both legal and compliance teams before hitting production. The review branch pattern lets drafts flow freely while protecting your approved contracts.
Document Versioning and Metadata
Here's where we get into the nuts and bolts of making legal documents behave like code. Every document needs rich metadata for automated processing, compliance tracking, and search.
Automatic Metadata Generation
1# metadata_generator.py
2import hashlib
3import json
4from datetime import datetime
5from typing import Dict, Any
6
7class DocumentVersioning:
8 def __init__(self, lakefs_client):
9 self.client = lakefs_client
10
11 def generate_document_metadata(self, file_path: str, content: bytes) -> Dict[str, Any]:
12 """Generate comprehensive metadata for legal documents"""
13
14 # Content hash for integrity
15 content_hash = hashlib.sha256(content).hexdigest()
16
17 # Extract document properties (simplified)
18 doc_type = self._detect_document_type(file_path)
19 word_count = self._count_words(content)
20
21 metadata = {
22 "document_id": f"{doc_type}_{content_hash[:8]}",
23 "file_path": file_path,
24 "content_hash": content_hash,
25 "document_type": doc_type,
26 "word_count": word_count,
27 "created_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
28 "lakefs_metadata": {
29 "repository": "legal-contracts",
30 "branch": self.client.get_current_branch(),
31 "commit_id": None, # Set after commit
32 "version": self._get_version_number(file_path)
33 },
34 "legal_metadata": {
35 "requires_legal_review": self._requires_legal_review(doc_type),
36 "compliance_tags": self._get_compliance_tags(content),
37 "risk_level": self._assess_risk_level(content),
38 "expiration_tracking": self._extract_dates(content)
39 }
40 }
41
42 return metadata
43
44 def _detect_document_type(self, file_path: str) -> str:
45 """Detect document type from path and content"""
46 path_lower = file_path.lower()
47
48 if 'vendor' in path_lower or 'supplier' in path_lower:
49 return 'vendor_agreement'
50 elif 'employment' in path_lower or 'hire' in path_lower:
51 return 'employment_contract'
52 elif 'partnership' in path_lower or 'partner' in path_lower:
53 return 'partnership_agreement'
54 elif 'nda' in path_lower or 'confidential' in path_lower:
55 return 'nda'
56 else:
57 return 'general_contract'
58
59 def _requires_legal_review(self, doc_type: str) -> bool:
60 """Determine if document type requires legal team review"""
61 high_risk_types = {
62 'vendor_agreement',
63 'partnership_agreement',
64 'employment_contract'
65 }
66 return doc_type in high_risk_types
67
68 def _get_compliance_tags(self, content: bytes) -> list:
69 """Extract compliance requirements from document content"""
70 # Simplified compliance detection
71 content_text = content.decode('utf-8', errors='ignore').lower()
72
73 tags = []
74 if 'gdpr' in content_text or 'data protection' in content_text:
75 tags.append('gdpr_required')
76 if 'sox' in content_text or 'sarbanes' in content_text:
77 tags.append('sox_compliance')
78 if 'hipaa' in content_text:
79 tags.append('hipaa_required')
80 if 'pci' in content_text:
81 tags.append('pci_compliance')
82
83 return tagsThe DocumentVersioning class automatically detects contract types, extracts compliance requirements, and generates structured metadata that makes documents searchable and auditable. This metadata becomes crucial for automated compliance checking.
Pre-Merge Hook Implementation
This is where the magic happens—automated legal compliance checking before any contract reaches production. No more "oops, we forgot to check if this contract has a termination clause."
Legal Compliance Validation
1# hooks/legal_compliance_check.py
2import json
3import re
4from typing import Dict, List, Tuple
5
6class LegalComplianceHook:
7 def __init__(self):
8 self.required_clauses = {
9 'vendor_agreement': [
10 'limitation of liability',
11 'intellectual property',
12 'termination clause',
13 'governing law'
14 ],
15 'employment_contract': [
16 'at-will employment',
17 'confidentiality',
18 'intellectual property assignment',
19 'termination conditions'
20 ],
21 'partnership_agreement': [
22 'profit sharing',
23 'decision making authority',
24 'dissolution terms',
25 'intellectual property rights'
26 ]
27 }
28
29 self.prohibited_terms = [
30 'unlimited liability',
31 'perpetual agreement',
32 'automatic renewal without notice',
33 'non-compete beyond legal limits'
34 ]
35
36 def validate_pre_merge(self, changed_files: List[str]) -> Tuple[bool, List[str]]:
37 """
38 Validate legal documents before merge to main branch
39 Returns: (is_valid, list_of_issues)
40 """
41 issues = []
42
43 for file_path in changed_files:
44 if not self._is_legal_document(file_path):
45 continue
46
47 # Read document content
48 content = self._read_file_content(file_path)
49 metadata = self._read_metadata(file_path)
50
51 # Validate required clauses
52 clause_issues = self._validate_required_clauses(content, metadata.get('document_type'))
53 issues.extend(clause_issues)
54
55 # Check for prohibited terms
56 prohibition_issues = self._check_prohibited_terms(content)
57 issues.extend(prohibition_issues)
58
59 # Validate metadata completeness
60 metadata_issues = self._validate_metadata(metadata)
61 issues.extend(metadata_issues)
62
63 return len(issues) == 0, issues
64
65 def _validate_required_clauses(self, content: str, doc_type: str) -> List[str]:
66 """Check if document contains required legal clauses"""
67 issues = []
68 required = self.required_clauses.get(doc_type, [])
69
70 content_lower = content.lower()
71 for clause in required:
72 if clause not in content_lower:
73 issues.append(f"Missing required clause: '{clause}' for {doc_type}")
74
75 return issues
76
77 def _check_prohibited_terms(self, content: str) -> List[str]:
78 """Check for legally problematic terms"""
79 issues = []
80 content_lower = content.lower()
81
82 for term in self.prohibited_terms:
83 if term in content_lower:
84 issues.append(f"Prohibited term found: '{term}'")
85
86 return issues
87
88 def _validate_metadata(self, metadata: Dict) -> List[str]:
89 """Validate metadata completeness"""
90 issues = []
91 required_fields = [
92 'document_id',
93 'document_type',
94 'created_at',
95 'legal_metadata.risk_level',
96 'legal_metadata.requires_legal_review'
97 ]
98
99 for field in required_fields:
100 if '.' in field:
101 # Nested field check
102 parts = field.split('.')
103 current = metadata
104 for part in parts:
105 if part not in current:
106 issues.append(f"Missing required metadata field: {field}")
107 break
108 current = current[part]
109 else:
110 if field not in metadata:
111 issues.append(f"Missing required metadata field: {field}")
112
113 return issues
114
115# Hook registration
116def pre_merge_hook(event_data):
117 """LakeFS pre-merge hook entry point"""
118 hook = LegalComplianceHook()
119
120 # Extract changed files from LakeFS event
121 changed_files = event_data.get('changed_files', [])
122
123 # Run validation
124 is_valid, issues = hook.validate_pre_merge(changed_files)
125
126 if not is_valid:
127 return {
128 'status': 'failed',
129 'message': 'Legal compliance check failed',
130 'details': issues
131 }
132
133 return {
134 'status': 'passed',
135 'message': 'Legal compliance check passed'
136 }This hook automatically validates that every contract contains required legal clauses, doesn't include prohibited terms, and has complete metadata. It runs on every merge attempt to main, catching legal issues before they hit production.
The beauty is that it fails fast—if a contract is missing a termination clause, the merge is blocked immediately with a clear error message.
Multi-Agent Integration
Here's where we go beyond simple validation to full AI-powered contract review. Multiple specialized agents work together to analyze, validate, and approve contracts automatically.
Agent Coordination Layer
1# agents/legal_workflow_orchestrator.py
2from typing import Dict, List
3import asyncio
4from lakefs import LakeFS
5
6class LegalWorkflowOrchestrator:
7 def __init__(self, lakefs_client: LakeFS):
8 self.client = lakefs_client
9 self.agents = {
10 'document_analyzer': DocumentAnalysisAgent(),
11 'compliance_checker': ComplianceAgent(),
12 'risk_assessor': RiskAssessmentAgent(),
13 'version_manager': VersionManagementAgent()
14 }
15
16 async def process_contract_review(self, contract_path: str, review_requirements: Dict) -> Dict:
17 """Orchestrate multi-agent contract review workflow"""
18
19 # Create review branch
20 review_branch = f"review/contract-{self._generate_review_id()}"
21 self.client.create_branch(
22 repository='legal-contracts',
23 name=review_branch,
24 source='main'
25 )
26
27 try:
28 # Switch to review branch
29 self.client.checkout(repository='legal-contracts', ref=review_branch)
30
31 # Parallel agent analysis
32 tasks = []
33
34 # Document analysis
35 tasks.append(
36 self.agents['document_analyzer'].analyze_contract(contract_path)
37 )
38
39 # Compliance verification
40 tasks.append(
41 self.agents['compliance_checker'].check_compliance(
42 contract_path,
43 review_requirements.get('compliance_standards', [])
44 )
45 )
46
47 # Risk assessment
48 tasks.append(
49 self.agents['risk_assessor'].assess_risk(
50 contract_path,
51 review_requirements.get('risk_tolerance', 'medium')
52 )
53 )
54
55 # Version management
56 tasks.append(
57 self.agents['version_manager'].prepare_versioning(contract_path)
58 )
59
60 # Wait for all agents to complete
61 analysis_results, compliance_results, risk_results, version_results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
62
63 # Aggregate results
64 review_summary = self._aggregate_results(
65 analysis_results,
66 compliance_results,
67 risk_results,
68 version_results
69 )
70
71 # Generate review artifacts
72 await self._generate_review_artifacts(review_branch, review_summary)
73
74 # Create merge request if all checks pass
75 if review_summary['overall_status'] == 'approved':
76 merge_request = self._create_merge_request(review_branch, review_summary)
77 return {
78 'status': 'ready_for_merge',
79 'branch': review_branch,
80 'merge_request': merge_request,
81 'summary': review_summary
82 }
83 else:
84 return {
85 'status': 'requires_revision',
86 'branch': review_branch,
87 'summary': review_summary,
88 'required_actions': review_summary['required_actions']
89 }
90
91 except Exception as e:
92 # Cleanup on failure
93 self.client.delete_branch(repository='legal-contracts', name=review_branch)
94 raise e
95
96 def _aggregate_results(self, analysis, compliance, risk, version) -> Dict:
97 """Aggregate multi-agent results into review summary"""
98
99 # Determine overall status
100 all_checks = [
101 analysis.get('status') == 'passed',
102 compliance.get('status') == 'passed',
103 risk.get('risk_level') in ['low', 'medium'],
104 version.get('status') == 'ready'
105 ]
106
107 overall_status = 'approved' if all(all_checks) else 'requires_revision'
108
109 # Collect required actions
110 required_actions = []
111 if analysis.get('status') != 'passed':
112 required_actions.extend(analysis.get('required_changes', []))
113 if compliance.get('status') != 'passed':
114 required_actions.extend(compliance.get('violations', []))
115 if risk.get('risk_level') == 'high':
116 required_actions.append('High risk level requires executive approval')
117 if version.get('status') != 'ready':
118 required_actions.extend(version.get('issues', []))
119
120 return {
121 'overall_status': overall_status,
122 'analysis_summary': analysis,
123 'compliance_summary': compliance,
124 'risk_summary': risk,
125 'version_summary': version,
126 'required_actions': required_actions,
127 'review_timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
128 }The LegalWorkflowOrchestrator creates a review branch for each contract, runs four specialized agents in parallel, then aggregates their results. If all agents approve, the contract automatically moves toward production. If any agent flags issues, the specific problems are returned for human review.
This gives you the speed of automation with the safety of human oversight when needed.
Branch Merge Automation
With validation and review in place, we can now automate the boring parts while keeping humans in the loop for high-stakes decisions.
Automated Merge Policy
1# merge_automation.py
2class MergeAutomation:
3 def __init__(self, lakefs_client):
4 self.client = lakefs_client
5
6 def setup_automated_merge_policies(self):
7 """Configure automated merge policies based on review outcomes"""
8
9 # Low-risk document auto-merge
10 low_risk_policy = {
11 "conditions": {
12 "risk_level": ["low"],
13 "compliance_status": "passed",
14 "required_approvals_met": True,
15 "no_conflicts": True
16 },
17 "actions": {
18 "auto_merge": True,
19 "notification_channels": ["slack", "email"],
20 "post_merge_hooks": ["audit_log", "backup_creation"]
21 }
22 }
23
24 # Medium-risk document approval workflow
25 medium_risk_policy = {
26 "conditions": {
27 "risk_level": ["medium"],
28 "compliance_status": "passed",
29 "legal_team_approval": True,
30 "business_owner_approval": True
31 },
32 "actions": {
33 "auto_merge": True,
34 "notification_channels": ["slack", "email", "legal_team"],
35 "post_merge_hooks": ["audit_log", "backup_creation", "compliance_report"]
36 }
37 }
38
39 # High-risk document manual review
40 high_risk_policy = {
41 "conditions": {
42 "risk_level": ["high"],
43 "compliance_status": "passed",
44 "executive_approval": True,
45 "legal_counsel_approval": True,
46 "business_impact_assessment": "completed"
47 },
48 "actions": {
49 "auto_merge": False,
50 "require_manual_merge": True,
51 "notification_channels": ["slack", "email", "legal_team", "executive_team"]
52 }
53 }
54
55 return [low_risk_policy, medium_risk_policy, high_risk_policy]This three-tier approach handles 95% of contract approvals automatically while ensuring high-risk contracts get proper executive review. Low-risk documents (like standard NDAs) merge automatically, medium-risk documents need departmental approval, and high-risk contracts require executive sign-off.
Audit Trail and Compliance
Legal teams love audit trails even more than engineers love logs. Every action needs to be tracked, timestamped, and immutable.
Complete Audit Logging
1# audit_logging.py
2import json
3from datetime import datetime
4from typing import Dict, Any
5
6class AuditLogger:
7 def __init__(self, lakefs_client):
8 self.client = lakefs_client
9
10 def log_document_action(self, action_type: str, document_path: str, metadata: Dict[str, Any]):
11 """Log all document actions for compliance audit trails"""
12
13 audit_entry = {
14 "timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
15 "action_type": action_type, # create, modify, review, approve, merge, archive
16 "document_path": document_path,
17 "document_metadata": metadata,
18 "lakefs_context": {
19 "repository": self.client.get_current_repository(),
20 "branch": self.client.get_current_branch(),
21 "commit_id": self.client.get_head_commit(),
22 "user": self.client.get_current_user()
23 },
24 "compliance_context": {
25 "review_required": metadata.get('legal_metadata', {}).get('requires_legal_review', False),
26 "compliance_tags": metadata.get('legal_metadata', {}).get('compliance_tags', []),
27 "risk_level": metadata.get('legal_metadata', {}).get('risk_level', 'unknown')
28 }
29 }
30
31 # Store in audit branch
32 audit_file_path = f"audit/{datetime.utcnow().year}/{datetime.utcnow().month}/{action_type}_{datetime.utcnow().timestamp()}.json"
33
34 self._write_audit_file(audit_file_path, audit_entry)
35
36 def _write_audit_file(self, path: str, content: Dict):
37 """Write audit entry to LakeFS audit branch"""
38 # Switch to audit branch (create if doesn't exist)
39 try:
40 self.client.checkout(repository='legal-contracts', ref='audit')
41 except:
42 self.client.create_branch(repository='legal-contracts', name='audit', source='main')
43 self.client.checkout(repository='legal-contracts', ref='audit')
44
45 # Write audit file
46 self.client.upload_object(
47 repository='legal-contracts',
48 branch='audit',
49 path=path,
50 content=json.dumps(content, indent=2).encode()
51 )
52
53 # Commit audit entry
54 self.client.commit(
55 repository='legal-contracts',
56 branch='audit',
57 message=f"Audit log: {content['action_type']} for {content['document_path']}"
58 )The AuditLogger writes every action to a separate audit branch that never gets merged back. This gives you an immutable audit trail that compliance teams can rely on, while keeping your main branch clean.
Performance Optimization
When you're processing hundreds of contracts, performance matters. Here's how we built this to scale.
Concurrent Processing
1# performance_optimizations.py
2import asyncio
3from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
4from typing import List, Dict
5
6class PerformanceOptimizer:
7 def __init__(self, lakefs_client, max_workers=10):
8 self.client = lakefs_client
9 self.executor = ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers)
10
11 async def batch_process_documents(self, document_paths: List[str]) -> Dict:
12 """Process multiple documents concurrently"""
13
14 # Create concurrent processing tasks
15 tasks = []
16 for doc_path in document_paths:
17 task = asyncio.create_task(
18 self._process_single_document(doc_path)
19 )
20 tasks.append(task)
21
22 # Wait for all documents to process
23 results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks, return_exceptions=True)
24
25 # Aggregate results
26 successful = []
27 failed = []
28
29 for i, result in enumerate(results):
30 if isinstance(result, Exception):
31 failed.append({
32 'document': document_paths[i],
33 'error': str(result)
34 })
35 else:
36 successful.append({
37 'document': document_paths[i],
38 'result': result
39 })
40
41 return {
42 'successful': successful,
43 'failed': failed,
44 'total_processed': len(document_paths),
45 'success_rate': len(successful) / len(document_paths)
46 }
47
48 async def _process_single_document(self, doc_path: str) -> Dict:
49 """Process a single document with all validations"""
50
51 # Run in thread pool to avoid blocking
52 loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
53
54 # Document analysis
55 analysis_task = loop.run_in_executor(
56 self.executor,
57 self._analyze_document_content,
58 doc_path
59 )
60
61 # Metadata generation
62 metadata_task = loop.run_in_executor(
63 self.executor,
64 self._generate_document_metadata,
65 doc_path
66 )
67
68 # Compliance check
69 compliance_task = loop.run_in_executor(
70 self.executor,
71 self._run_compliance_checks,
72 doc_path
73 )
74
75 # Wait for all tasks
76 analysis, metadata, compliance = await asyncio.gather(
77 analysis_task, metadata_task, compliance_task
78 )
79
80 return {
81 'analysis': analysis,
82 'metadata': metadata,
83 'compliance': compliance,
84 'processing_timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
85 }The PerformanceOptimizer processes multiple documents concurrently using asyncio and thread pools. This is crucial when your legal team drops 50 vendor agreements on you at once—you need to process them in parallel, not one by one.
Deployment Configuration
Here's how to run this in production with proper monitoring, scaling, and reliability.
Production Deployment
1# k8s/lakefs-deployment.yaml
2apiVersion: apps/v1
3kind: Deployment
4metadata:
5 name: lakefs-legal
6 namespace: legal-infrastructure
7spec:
8 replicas: 3
9 selector:
10 matchLabels:
11 app: lakefs-legal
12 template:
13 metadata:
14 labels:
15 app: lakefs-legal
16 spec:
17 containers:
18 - name: lakefs
19 image: treeverse/lakefs:latest
20 ports:
21 - containerPort: 8000
22 env:
23 - name: LAKEFS_DATABASE_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING
24 valueFrom:
25 secretKeyRef:
26 name: lakefs-secrets
27 key: database-url
28 - name: LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_S3_CREDENTIALS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
29 valueFrom:
30 secretKeyRef:
31 name: aws-credentials
32 key: access-key-id
33 - name: LAKEFS_BLOCKSTORE_S3_CREDENTIALS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
34 valueFrom:
35 secretKeyRef:
36 name: aws-credentials
37 key: secret-access-key
38 resources:
39 requests:
40 memory: "1Gi"
41 cpu: "500m"
42 limits:
43 memory: "2Gi"
44 cpu: "1000m"
45 livenessProbe:
46 httpGet:
47 path: /api/v1/healthcheck
48 port: 8000
49 initialDelaySeconds: 30
50 periodSeconds: 10
51 readinessProbe:
52 httpGet:
53 path: /api/v1/healthcheck
54 port: 8000
55 initialDelaySeconds: 5
56 periodSeconds: 5
57
58---
59apiVersion: v1
60kind: Service
61metadata:
62 name: lakefs-service
63 namespace: legal-infrastructure
64spec:
65 selector:
66 app: lakefs-legal
67 ports:
68 - protocol: TCP
69 port: 80
70 targetPort: 8000
71 type: ClusterIPMonitoring and Alerting
1# monitoring/lakefs-monitoring.yaml
2apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
3kind: ServiceMonitor
4metadata:
5 name: lakefs-legal-monitor
6 namespace: legal-infrastructure
7spec:
8 selector:
9 matchLabels:
10 app: lakefs-legal
11 endpoints:
12 - port: http
13 path: /api/v1/metrics
14 interval: 30s
15
16---
17apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
18kind: PrometheusRule
19metadata:
20 name: lakefs-legal-alerts
21 namespace: legal-infrastructure
22spec:
23 groups:
24 - name: lakefs.legal.rules
25 rules:
26 - alert: LakeFSHighMemoryUsage
27 expr: container_memory_usage_bytes{pod=~"lakefs-legal-.*"} / container_spec_memory_limit_bytes > 0.8
28 for: 5m
29 labels:
30 severity: warning
31 annotations:
32 summary: "LakeFS Legal instance high memory usage"
33 description: "LakeFS legal instance {{ $labels.pod }} memory usage is above 80%"
34
35 - alert: LakeFSDocumentProcessingBacklog
36 expr: lakefs_pending_documents > 100
37 for: 10m
38 labels:
39 severity: critical
40 annotations:
41 summary: "LakeFS document processing backlog"
42 description: "LakeFS has {{ $value }} documents pending processing"The Kubernetes deployment includes health checks, resource limits, and monitoring integration. The key is treating your legal infrastructure with the same operational rigor as your core application services.
Testing Framework
You can't deploy contract automation without comprehensive tests. Here's how we test legal workflows without breaking compliance.
Integration Tests
1# tests/test_legal_workflow_integration.py
2import pytest
3import asyncio
4from lakefs import LakeFS
5from agents.legal_workflow_orchestrator import LegalWorkflowOrchestrator
6
7class TestLegalWorkflowIntegration:
8
9 @pytest.fixture
10 async def setup_test_environment(self):
11 """Setup test LakeFS environment"""
12 client = LakeFS(
13 host='http://localhost:8000',
14 username='test-admin',
15 password='test-admin'
16 )
17
18 # Create test repository
19 client.create_repository(
20 name='test-legal-contracts',
21 storage_namespace='s3://test-legal-bucket/'
22 )
23
24 orchestrator = LegalWorkflowOrchestrator(client)
25
26 yield client, orchestrator
27
28 # Cleanup
29 client.delete_repository('test-legal-contracts')
30
31 @pytest.mark.asyncio
32 async def test_contract_review_workflow(self, setup_test_environment):
33 """Test end-to-end contract review workflow"""
34 client, orchestrator = setup_test_environment
35
36 # Upload test contract
37 test_contract_content = self._create_test_contract()
38 client.upload_object(
39 repository='test-legal-contracts',
40 branch='main',
41 path='contracts/test-vendor-agreement.docx',
42 content=test_contract_content
43 )
44
45 # Process contract review
46 result = await orchestrator.process_contract_review(
47 contract_path='contracts/test-vendor-agreement.docx',
48 review_requirements={
49 'compliance_standards': ['gdpr', 'sox'],
50 'risk_tolerance': 'medium'
51 }
52 )
53
54 # Verify results
55 assert result['status'] in ['ready_for_merge', 'requires_revision']
56 assert 'summary' in result
57 assert result['summary']['overall_status'] in ['approved', 'requires_revision']
58
59 # Verify branch creation
60 branches = client.list_branches('test-legal-contracts')
61 review_branches = [b for b in branches if b.startswith('review/')]
62 assert len(review_branches) == 1
63
64 @pytest.mark.asyncio
65 async def test_compliance_hook_validation(self, setup_test_environment):
66 """Test pre-merge compliance validation"""
67 client, orchestrator = setup_test_environment
68
69 # Create review branch
70 client.create_branch(
71 repository='test-legal-contracts',
72 name='review/test-compliance',
73 source='main'
74 )
75
76 # Upload contract with compliance issues
77 problematic_contract = self._create_contract_with_issues()
78 client.upload_object(
79 repository='test-legal-contracts',
80 branch='review/test-compliance',
81 path='contracts/problematic-contract.docx',
82 content=problematic_contract
83 )
84
85 # Attempt merge (should fail)
86 try:
87 client.merge(
88 repository='test-legal-contracts',
89 source_ref='review/test-compliance',
90 destination_branch='main'
91 )
92 assert False, "Merge should have failed due to compliance issues"
93 except Exception as e:
94 assert "Legal compliance check failed" in str(e)
95
96 def _create_test_contract(self) -> bytes:
97 """Create a valid test contract"""
98 contract_content = """
99 VENDOR AGREEMENT
100
101 This agreement includes:
102 - Limitation of liability clause
103 - Intellectual property rights
104 - Termination clause
105 - Governing law specification
106
107 GDPR compliance ensured.
108 """
109 return contract_content.encode()
110
111 def _create_contract_with_issues(self) -> bytes:
112 """Create a contract with compliance issues"""
113 problematic_content = """
114 PROBLEMATIC VENDOR AGREEMENT
115
116 This agreement has unlimited liability
117 and is a perpetual agreement.
118
119 No termination clause provided.
120 """
121 return problematic_content.encode()The test suite covers end-to-end contract workflows, compliance validation, and failure scenarios. The key insight is testing with both valid contracts (that should pass) and intentionally problematic contracts (that should fail)—this ensures your validation logic actually works.
What We Learned
Building git-style legal infrastructure taught us several key lessons:
-
Treat legal documents like code: Version control, automated testing, and deployment pipelines work just as well for contracts as they do for software.
-
Fail fast on compliance: Automated compliance checking at the branch level catches issues before they become expensive legal problems.
-
AI agents need guardrails: Multiple specialized agents working together give you better results than one general-purpose agent trying to do everything.
-
Audit trails are non-negotiable: Legal teams need immutable records of who changed what and when—build this from day one, not as an afterthought.
-
Performance matters at scale: When processing hundreds of contracts, concurrent processing and proper caching make the difference between minutes and hours.
Next Steps
This implementation gives you the foundation for git-style legal document management. From here, you can extend it with:
- Smart contract templates that automatically populate with company-specific terms
- Integration with DocuSign for automated signature workflows
- Contract expiration tracking with automated renewal reminders
- Advanced compliance monitoring for regulatory changes
The key is building iteratively—start with basic version control and automated validation, then add AI agents and advanced automation as your legal team gets comfortable with the system.
Related Reading
- Email-Native Contract AI That Learns Your Company's Review Rules — Executive-focused version of this infrastructure
- AI Systems That Work Reliably And Tell You When Something's Wrong — Monitoring and observability for AI systems
- Infrastructure That Sets Up Itself While You Focus on Product — Multi-agent infrastructure automation
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