Legal AI: Applications & Benefits in 2024
Legal AI: Applications & Benefits in 2024
Artificial intelligence has become a huge part of standard legal technology—and for a lot of good reasons.
AI lets law firms move away from rigid and often tedious legal workflows that tradition dictates. And as legal professionals learn to work in tandem with AI technology, the benefits become clearer and clearer: Less time spent on repetitive tasks and more time for high-value work that directly translates to billable hours.
Of course, no reputable professional will take anyone’s word for it without doing their due diligence. So, let’s talk about legal AI, its applications, and its benefits for legal services.
![man going through a pile of documents](https://briefpoint.ai/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/cd948c5a-56f8-4845-ac3b-b8159bb0f082.jpg)
How Do Law Firms Use Artificial Intelligence?
AI technology is taking over numerous professional sectors, including business, finance, real estate, healthcare, and so much more. The legal industry was quite slower to adopt this type of tech in comparison, but there’s no denying that AI has become a must-have tool for legal professionals.
In an industry known to abide by tradition, how did AI make its way into legal departments? Here’s a look at some important areas where AI is making a big difference:
1. Document Drafting
Traditionally, creating standard legal documents like contracts, agreements, and wills was a meticulous and time-consuming task that required a lot of attention to detail to make sure everything was accurate and compliant. But now, AI has made this process much more efficient.
AI tools can automate the creation of these standard documents by analyzing large datasets and identifying relevant clauses. A specific type of AI common in document drafting is generative AI.
Generative AI tools draft complex legal documents by generating text that meets necessary requirements. For example, if a lawyer needs a discovery response document with particular objections, generative AI can produce a draft that includes all the necessary legal language and clauses.
2. Data Synthesis and Document Analysis
In legal work, sorting through piles of documents and data is a given, but it’s also one of the more time-consuming parts of the job. AI is stepping in to simplify this hefty task. By using AI tools, lawyers can automate the process of organizing and analyzing vast amounts of legal data, from client communications to detailed case histories.
These tools quickly sift through information, extract the necessary details, and present them in a way that’s easy to understand. This not only speeds up the entire process but also reduces the chance of human error—no more overlooked details or misinterpreted data points.
The result? Legal teams get the insights they need faster, which, in turn, makes it simpler to build cases or advise clients.
3. Legal Research
Legal research is essential for any law practice, as lawyers need to sift through vast amounts of statutes, case law, and legal writings to support their arguments or provide advice. Traditionally, this task has been incredibly time-consuming and sometimes error-prone.
However, large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools are changing the game by speeding up the process and increasing efficiency.
These tools use advanced algorithms, machine learning, and other large language models to comb through extensive legal databases quickly. They can accurately identify relevant cases, laws, and articles much faster than manual methods (way faster than a human can).
This efficiency not only saves time but also helps lawyers build stronger cases by reducing the risk of missing crucial information. With AI, even smaller law firms or solo practitioners can access comprehensive research quickly, which can help them gain a competitive advantage over larger firms that have more resources.
4. Predictive Analysis
Predictive analysis in the legal world means using AI to predict the outcomes of legal cases before they wrap up. This tech dives into heaps of data—from past court decisions to detailed legal precedents—to give lawyers a heads-up on how things might pan out.
This kind of insight can make or break a court victory. For example, it helps lawyers figure out the best strategies for their cases, like whether to settle early or push through to trial based on the predicted outcomes.
But it’s not just about strategizing. Predictive analysis is also great for risk assessment. Law firms use this legal tech to check out the risks of taking on new cases. They can spot potential problems before they blow up, which can save everyone a lot of time and money by avoiding drawn-out legal battles.
Clients get a lot from this, too. They receive advice that’s backed by solid data, which can help them make well-informed decisions about their legal issues.
5. Client Communications
Good communication with clients is an absolute must in the legal profession, but keeping up can be quite a task, especially for busy lawyers. AI is changing how law firms manage this by automating routine interactions and helping maintain consistent, timely communication.
AI tools, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, can handle common inquiries from clients, schedule appointments, and send updates about case progress. These tools work around the clock to make sure that clients receive quick responses, which boosts their satisfaction and trust in the service provided.
Plus, these AI systems can personalize communications based on client data to make interactions feel more tailored and attentive. For a law firm, this means less time spent on routine tasks and more time available for the complex aspects of their cases.
6. Contract Management
AI models can quickly scan through contracts to pinpoint any unusual clauses or potential risks. As a result, they speed up the review process and help make sure that everything is up to par legally and aligned with business goals.
When drafting contracts, AI can offer the right language and clauses based on a huge database of existing contracts. AI also helps keep track of active contracts, sending alerts about compliance issues, renewals, or any deviations from the terms.
Such oversight helps prevent problems down the line and makes sure contracts are managed properly.
Stop Spending Hours on Discovery Documents and Let Briefpoint Help
Drafting discovery response and request documents is by far one of the most tedious parts of the discovery process. What about your legal strategy? The client meetings you have to attend? The other piles of paperwork on your desk?
Sure, you can pile this task on your legal assistant, but that doesn’t solve the overarching problem. Drafting legal documents simply takes up too much time.
Briefpoint.ai gives you an easy solution. With our generative AI, you can draft sets of and responses to:
- Requests for Production
- Requests for Admission
- Interrogatories
- And more
And all it takes is just a few minutes. No more spending hours preparing this tedious (yet necessary) paperwork. Get the Briefpoint advantage today!
Invest in a Generative AI Tool That Can Save You Thousands
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.
FAQs About Legal AI
How does legal AI make things more efficient?
Legal AI tools make things more efficient by automating time-consuming tasks like drafting standard legal documents, analyzing large amounts of data, and conducting legal research. Instead of manually going through thousands of documents, an AI tool can quickly find the relevant information, saving lawyers a lot of time.
Are there any risks with legal AI?
Yes, there are some risks with using legal AI. One big concern is data privacy since AI systems handle sensitive client information. Keeping this data secure is crucial. There’s also the issue of bias; AI can unintentionally carry over biases from the data it was trained on, leading to unfair outcomes. While AI is generally reliable, it’s not perfect and can make mistakes, especially in complex situations.
Can AI take over the role of human lawyers?
While AI can automate many tasks that lawyers do, it’s unlikely to replace human lawyers entirely. AI is great at handling routine and data-heavy tasks, but complex legal reasoning, strategy development, and ethical decision-making need human insight and experience.
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