The legal profession is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the rapid advancement and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This evolution presents both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges for legal practitioners. Those of us who want to improve our practice and better serve the public must learn to use AI, which is a daunting task in light of the vast array of novel tools on the market. To help you get there, let’s explore the AI landscape, examining various tools, applications of such tools, and the implications for the legal profession.
The advent of powerful general-purpose AI tools has had a significant impact across industries, including law. Large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s GPT series, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in natural language processing and generation. These models have limitations but can assist lawyers with a wide range of tasks, from initial nonlegal research to drafting non-confidential documents and even analyzing complex legal scenarios (as long as you omit sensitive or confidential information from the input).
Microsoft’s integration of AI into its Office suite through Copilot represents another significant development. This tool enhances productivity by offering AI-powered assistance directly within familiar applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. For lawyers, this can mean more efficient document creation, data analysis, and presentation preparation. Turning written briefs into demonstrative exhibits for trial or research/opinion memos into presentations with graphics and charts is as easy as prompting Copilot in PowerPoint (and iterating for improvements).
Writing assistants such as Grammarly have evolved beyond simple spell-checking to offer sophisticated grammar and style suggestions powered by AI. These tools can help lawyers improve the clarity and professionalism of their written communications, from client emails to court filings.
Adobe’s incorporation of AI into its PDF and e-signature platform is particularly relevant for legal professionals who frequently work with PDFs in Adobe. The AI assistant can help with tasks such as document summarization and information extraction, and new features are being added, streamlining document management processes.
Design platforms such as Canva and Beautiful.ai have integrated AI to simplify the creation of visual content. While visual presentations are not traditionally a focus for lawyers, their increasing importance in courtrooms and client communications makes these tools valuable for modern legal practice. These tools are particularly useful for law firm owners (such as this author) in marketing and business development.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing developments is the emergence of AI-powered answer engines such as Perplexity. Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity synthesizes information from multiple web sources to provide concise, cited answers to queries. For lawyers, this can offer a rapid way to gain initial insights into unfamiliar legal topics or to quickly gather background information on cases or clients before pursuing traditional or AI-powered legal research.
There are dozens of AI tools specifically catering to legal professionals. Each one warrants a deep dive, and this article will not attempt to explain all of them in great detail. Instead, a broad overview will be presented so you can see which category of tools is most useful for your practice, thereby narrowing your search and reducing your time spent doing follow-up research. There are far more tools than can be listed in this article, as the market is changing rapidly. By all means, do not limit your follow-up research to the tools listed below.
These tools are the closest thing to one-stop shops for legal AI. Some of these do it all, and some do it better than others or in ways more preferable to you. Just like flavors of ice cream, there’s one for everyone’s preference. That said, some of these use the same ingredients, while others have proprietary ingredients and/or toppings that help differentiate themselves. While these tools might also fit into the narrower categories listed below in subsequent sections, they will be omitted there for the sake of brevity. Leading examples of general legal AI assistants include the following:
These tools not only speed up the research process but also have the potential to uncover relevant precedents or arguments that might be missed via traditional research methods. They can analyze vast amounts of legal data, identifying patterns and connections that can inform legal strategies. Leading examples include the following:
These tools can significantly reduce the time spent on document review and analysis, allowing lawyers to focus on higher-level strategic work. They can also help ensure consistency in contract interpretation and reduce the risk of overlooking important clauses or provisions. Leading examples include the following:
These litigation-focused AI tools can help lawyers prepare more effectively for trial, identify key evidence, and develop stronger arguments. They can also assist in case valuation and settlement negotiations by providing data-driven insights. Leading examples include the following:
These tools can significantly reduce the time spent on routine drafting tasks, allowing lawyers to focus on more complex aspects of document preparation. They can also help ensure consistency across documents and reduce the risk of errors or omissions. Leading examples include the following:
These tools can help IP lawyers navigate the vast landscape of existing patents and trademarks, identify potential infringement issues, and develop more effective IP strategies for their clients. Leading examples include the following:
As lawyers begin to incorporate AI tools into their practice, several best practices emerge:
The integration of AI in legal practice raises several important ethical considerations:
As AI technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see even more sophisticated applications in the legal field. Potential future developments include:
The integration of AI in a legal practice represents a paradigm shift in how legal work is conducted. From research and drafting to document analysis and practice management, AI tools offer the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of legal services. However, AI adoption requires careful consideration of ethical obligations, data security, and the fundamental role of the lawyer.
As the AI landscape continues to evolve, we must stay informed and critically evaluate which tools best suit our practice needs. By responsibly incorporating AI into our workflows, we can not only increase our efficiency but also expand our services and better serve our clients more affordably and scale to serve more clients, thereby reducing the access-to-justice gap.
The key to successful AI integration lies in striking a balance between leveraging the power of these new technologies and maintaining the essential human elements of legal services: judgment, empathy, and ethical reasoning. As AI tools become more prevalent, the most successful lawyers will be those who can effectively combine technological proficiency with communication and interpersonal skills, using AI to augment and enhance their practice rather than replace core legal competencies.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, this article was enhanced with the help of AI. Not using AI to enhance writing is like only using maps for directions instead of using GPS. Sure, it’s useful to be able to read a map, but would you not use GPS with live traffic information just because you can read a map? Is GPS perfect? Of course not! We’ve all heard stories of people getting lost because of GPS errors, but that doesn’t mean people don’t use GPS. They just use it cautiously and don’t blindly rely on it. Now, you, too, can use AI cautiously without blindly relying on it to significantly improve your law practice.
