AI For Lawyers and How it Affects the Future of the Industry

What Type of AI Are We Talking About?

AI is the intelligence of computers programmed to mimic humans. But unlike humans, it can process massive amounts of data in as little as a few seconds. This makes AI incredibly useful for industries that manage and digest a lot of information, including law firms.

Machine Learning

At the core of AI technology, machine learning equips software with an intuitive grasp of data. Machine learning algorithms improve and become more accurate over time; they are self-learning algorithms.

Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing (NLP) allows computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. In the legal domain, NLP can be a powerful tool for analyzing legal documents, contracts, and legislation with the help of human input and supervision.

Large Language Models

Large language models, such as GPT-based systems, are a subset of NLP trained on massive datasets to understand and generate human-like text.

These models excel in tasks like drafting documents, summarizing lengthy legal texts, answering complex legal questions, and even assisting with research by providing context-aware insights.

In the legal world, LLMs can streamline document preparation, assist with legal research, and improve client communication by interpreting and explaining legal language in a more accessible way.

Their advanced understanding of context and semantics makes them a valuable tool for improving productivity and accuracy in legal workflows.

What Can AI Do for the Legal Industry?

AI has the potential to revolutionize how legal teams and law firms work. More specifically, it can streamline numerous processes, including:

Discovery

During the discovery process, lawyers and paralegals often have to review thousands of documents to find evidence relevant to the case. Legal document automation makes this process more straightforward by simultaneously processing vast amounts of information.

AI discovery software enables attorneys to sift through documents by employing search terms or particular criteria, like dates or geographic locations. In contrast, lawyers without AI would have to spend weeks on this.

Generative artificial intelligence is another highly beneficial AI tool for the discovery process. Through sophisticated algorithms, generative AI can comb through extensive datasets, pinpoint relevant information, and draft discovery responses and requests.

Legal Research

Legal research is a time-intensive task that requires sifting through countless legal documents, statutes, and case law to find precedents relevant to the case. AI-powered legal research tools are changing this landscape by processing and analyzing vast quantities of legal texts in a fraction of the time.

Aside from searching for keywords, legal AI can understand the context, interpret the semantics of legal language, and draw connections between legal precedents and current cases.

Due Diligence

Due diligence is a critical component of legal work. This is especially true in significant transactions like mergers and acquisitions, where understanding entities’ legal and financial health is paramount.

Without AI, due diligence is a labor-intensive process that requires weeks or even months of rigorous examination of documents to identify liabilities, compliance issues, and other potential risks.

Legal AI streamlines this process through its ability to rapidly analyze large volumes of data, identifying anomalies, patterns, and risks that would take humans considerably longer to uncover.

Contract Review and Analysis

Some AI-driven tools can examine contracts in detail faster. They can identify clauses that deviate from standard language, assess risk levels, and suggest modifications based on prevailing laws and legal standards.

This specific function of AI speeds up the contract review process, enhances contract accuracy and consistency, and minimizes the risk of disputes and litigation.

What Are the Benefits of AI for Legal Professionals?

The integration of AI makes perfect sense for any law firm that wants to optimize its processes. Here’s an expanded look at the key benefits AI brings to the table for the legal profession:

Efficiency

AI tools can now handle document sorting, evidence review, and even certain aspects of legal research, letting legal professionals allocate their time to more substantial legal work. AI can also help automate routine tasks, such as billing and time tracking, client intake, and scheduling, among many others.

For instance, AI-enabled document review tools can analyze thousands of documents in the time it takes a human to go through a handful, drastically reducing the lead time on cases and allowing lawyers to meet tight deadlines easily.

Accuracy

One of AI’s standout features is its ability to minimize errors in tasks involving data processing and analysis. This means more accurate document review, fewer research oversights, and better risk assessment.

Legal AI tools are designed to consistently recognize patterns and anomalies that surpass human capability. This is particularly valuable in identifying relevant case law, precedents, and statutory requirements.

Cost Reduction

The economic impact of AI on legal practices is significant. Through automation, AI reduces the hours lawyers and paralegals need to spend drafting.

Plus, the time savings may allow law firms to eliminate redundant roles or reduce the staff they need for routine tasks, which is another massive aspect.

Smarter Decision-Making

AI tools can dig through heaps of data and pull out insights that help lawyers make better calls. Whether it’s figuring out the chances of winning a case or spotting key trends, AI gives legal pros the edge they need to craft stronger strategies.

Better Client Support

AI-powered chatbots and assistants can handle the small stuff—like answering basic questions, booking meetings, or sending updates—so lawyers can focus on the big picture. Clients stay in the loop, and everyone’s happier with quicker, clearer communication.

How Can AI Benefit Law Firm Clients?

Legal AI tools help create more efficient workflows in law firms, but they can also have direct benefits to clients, including:

• Speed: The streamlined efficiency of AI leads to quicker turnaround times, meaning clients see faster outcomes and resolutions.
• Reduced Costs: Savings realized from AI’s operational improvements reduce hourly costs.
• Strategy: AI’s precision and advanced analytics support having more accurate and strategically sound legal approaches.
• Accessibility: AI-powered tools can simplify legal processes, making it easier for clients to access legal services and understand complex legal documents.
• Accuracy: By minimizing human errors, AI ensures higher accuracy in case analysis, document drafting, and legal research, giving clients greater confidence in the services they receive.

Will AI Replace Lawyers?

AI cannot replace human lawyers. While it excels at handling repetitive tasks, analyzing large datasets, and improving efficiency, it lacks the nuanced understanding of human emotions, ethical considerations, and creative problem-solving that legal professionals bring to the table.

AI is best viewed as a powerful tool to support lawyers, allowing them to focus on high-value work like courtroom advocacy, client counseling, and strategic decision-making.

The human touch in building relationships, understanding context, and navigating complex legal issues remains irreplaceable in the legal profession.

Legal Document Automation

The discovery phase of litigation is often the most time-consuming and has much room for error. Briefpoint recognized this long-standing issue and designed an AI tool to eliminate that bottleneck.

Briefpoint automates the preparation of discovery request and discovery response documents, including but not limited to:

• Requests for Admission
• Requests for Production
• Interrogatories

Plus, the process is simple: you upload the discovery request, add objections and responses to your discovery response, and then download the document in Word to finish it up. It’s easy, straightforward, and takes hours off the usual process.

Besides the drafting itself, Briefpoint comes with a built-in feature, Bridge, which makes collecting and inputting client responses easy. Bridge lets you select the interrogatories that need your client’s responses, translate them into plain English, and send them over to your client.

Once your client responds, Bridge will help insert those responses into your draft. You won’t need to waste time on back-and-forth emailing anymore.

Propund Discovery

With the latest Propound Discovery feature, you can upload a complaint in PDF format and let Briefpoint examine the details to generate interrogatories, document production requests, and admission requests.

Instead of limiting your efforts to answering discovery questions, this tool lets you create the discovery questions you require. After the questions are generated, you can customize them by editing, rearranging, deleting, or adding new ones. When done, download the finalized request as a file.

How Briefpoint Helps You Save

Discovery responses cost firms $23,240, per year, per attorney. $23,240 estimate assumes an associate attorney salary of $150,000 (including benefits – or $83 an hour), 20 cases per year/per associate, 4 discovery sets per case, 30 questions per set, 3.5 hours spent responding to each set, and 1800 hours of billable hours per year.

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.

Is AI an Advantage?

AI continuously evolves, creating more opportunities for tomorrow’s legal industry.

If you’re on the fence about using AI for your law firm, there’s no need to fully integrate AI right away. Instead, you can start small by optimizing one aspect of your legal research process: discovery.

Briefpoint is a bespoke tool committed to harnessing the power of AI to transform legal services, making them more efficient, accurate, and accessible. For legal firms, embracing AI is not just about staying ahead in a competitive landscape; it’s about redefining the very essence of legal practice for the better.

FAQs About AI for Lawyers

Is AI going to replace lawyers?

No, AI is designed to augment the capabilities of lawyers, not replace them. It automates routine tasks, allowing lawyers to focus on more complex and strategic aspects of their work.

How secure is AI in handling sensitive legal information?

AI systems used in the legal industry are designed with robust security measures to protect sensitive information. However, it’s crucial to choose reputable AI solutions that comply with industry-standard security protocols.

Can small law firms afford to implement AI?

Yes, there are AI solutions available at various price points, making them accessible for law firms of all sizes. Additionally, the long-term savings in time and operational costs can make AI a worthwhile investment for small firms.

How can I start integrating AI into my legal practice?

Begin by identifying areas where AI can have the most impact, such as document review or legal research. Partner with a trusted AI solutions provider like Briefpoint to ensure a smooth integration process tailored to your firm’s specific needs.

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