Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around in commercial applications for a few years. But only the recent past has seen an explosion of AI tools across industries, including the legal field. The right tools and implementation can help to improve productivity and business efficiencies, all while improving the client experience.
But that does not mean implementing artificial intelligence tools will automatically lead to success in attracting new clients and successfully bringing cases to conclusion. Join us for a discussion of the different types of AI used in the legal industry today. We’ll help you assess the different tools your law firm can use to achieve its business goals.
Benefits of AI Tools
One of the biggest things lawyers (especially solo practitioners) struggle with is time management. You may feel like there are never enough hours in the day and that growing your firm is near impossible. AI tools can help to streamline your processes and make it easier for you to achieve sustainable growth for your firm.
AI can also help you to catch details and mistakes that you might not have recognized on your own. For instance, an AI document drafting tool may catch a missed clause or an inconsistency in your file. And when you can produce more accurate documents faster, you provide a better experience for your clients.
Top AI Tools for Lawyers
There are a number of AI tools that can make running your law firm easier, faster, and less tedious.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is, of course, one of the most well-known generative AI tools in the world. Many industries, including the legal industry, have turned to ChatGPT to write articles, content, and other documents. ChatGPT can be useful for generating a first draft of legal documents, such as memos, briefs, pleadings, and more. However, getting the kind of document you want will require you to learn how to input the right prompts.
Of course, you will need to review and improve any outputs from ChatGPT. But using the generative AI tool can help speed up drafting and editing of legal documents and leave you with more time for other tasks.
Casetext
Casetext is one of the leading legal research platforms. It incorporates AI to assist lawyers in finding the case law, statutes, and government regulations they need to support their clients. It also has a legal assistant feature called CoCounsel.
CoCounsel
CoCounsel is a large language model that was developed specifically for the legal industry. You can use CoCounsel in much the same way you use Chat GPT, and, in fact, is built on the same engine that drives Chat GPT.
Lex Machina
Lex Machina is an AI-powered legal analytics tool. Every day, the software crawls legal databases like USPTO, ITC/EDIS, PACER, and state court data and compiles information like findings, case outcomes, and damages. You can run queries in this database and discover trends like how specific judges have behaved in cases like yours in the past, what sort of litigation experience your opposing counsel has, and what sort of settlements have been achieved in cases like yours.
Relativity
If you hate the discovery process, Relativity may be just the solution you’ve been looking for. This program will help you automate the information-gathering process, manage the document review process, streamline redactions, and more. Best of all, Relativity learns from each of the cases it’s fed, meaning it gets better the more people use it.
Latch
Latch is an AI assistant that integrates into Microsoft Word (and don’t worry – it’s nothing like Clippy). This generative assistant can help you simplify language, create custom checklists for contracts, summarize agreements, and more. It’s designed to make contract work and the negotiation process easier to manage.
Smith.ai
Smith.AI is an AI-powered chatbot that lawyers can use as a virtual receptionist. The platform will answer and route calls for law firms. It uses machine learning and natural language processing to identify a caller’s wishes and direct their call.
Harvey
Harvey utilizes natural language processing and machine learning to assist lawyers with tasks like contract review and regulatory compliance. It is also capable of sifting through large amounts of data and making observations and recommendations based on its review. The platform is built on Open.AI’s GPT and uses general legal data to support its work. However, it can also use a law firm’s specific work product as part of its machine-learning process.
How to Choose the Right AI Tools for You
When you’re deciding which AI tools to incorporate into your practice, you’ll need to consider several factors.
Consider Security
First and foremost, you need to assess the security of any AI tools you plan to use. You’ll have to follow the same privacy standards with your AI-powered work as you do in the rest of your practice. Investigate the data security measures each company you intend to work with uses and ensure they meet your requirements.
Determine Your Firm’s Needs
Even once you’ve vetted the data security system of different AI tools, it’s a good idea to determine which pieces of your workflow would benefit from AI assistance. Signing up for a pile of AI tools won’t do anything except waste money if it turns out you don’t actually need that specific service. Carefully assess which areas have opportunities for automation and AI assistance and decide what specific functionality you need from your AI tool before you sign up for a service.
Evaluate Ease of Use
Once you’ve made a shortlist of AI tools you think you’d like to implement, you’ll need to evaluate how easy each one is to use. Of course, some learning curve is to be expected with any new technology. But you don’t want to waste so much time arguing with the tool that any decrease in process time is negated.
Examine Available Integrations
As AI tools become more popular, you may find that some of them offer integrations with services you already use in your office. This can help to further streamline your process and may even offer more opportunities for scaling. Before you settle on a specific AI product, check if one or another can integrate with your existing systems.
Review the Vendor’s Reputation
Finally, it’s a good idea to take a look at what sort of reputation an AI vendor has in the legal space. If a company gets good reviews and is known for producing a quality product, it’s a safe bet they’ll be worth the money you invest into them.
Incorporate AI Into Your Practice
AI has many applications in the legal industry. While it can be used for some marketing tasks, such as generating content, it cannot replace the human effort and personal approach required for legal marketing — just as it cannot replace lawyers who provide legal services. If you want to increase your brand awareness and rank on the first pages of search engines, you need a marketing partner with experience in legal SEO.
LawRank has helped law firms rank for the most competitive keyword terms in the most competitive geographic markets. We can help you increase your online presence and generate more leads coming through your doors. Ready to get started? Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how we can help.
