How law firms can choose which AI tools are right for them

Software company Wolters Kluwer conducted a survey and discovered that 73% of lawyers plan to use generative artificial intelligence. Surprisingly, many firms already utilize AI products, even if they know them by different names. The big picture is that AI has become the latest buzzword across all aspects of life, from legal practice to recipes for home chefs. However, with numerous AI products available, the question remains: which products should you choose?

In the decision-making process, the first and most crucial step for the firm's leadership is to precisely determine the firm's needs. Vendors are readily willing to take an attorney's money, but too many firms subscribe to products and services they do not genuinely require.

Then the subscription essentially becomes the gym membership or the typical subscription that you continue paying for but rarely use. Therefore, it is essential not only to identify the firm's needs for success but also to find a service that offers favorable terms and cancellation policy, if possible. This way, if a product proves unnecessary, the firm is not obligated to pay for an entire year's worth of mistakes.

In addition, it is important to select software from a company that offers comprehensive training. We already expect our staff members and attorneys to be proficient in running WestLaw searches, operating our firm intake software, and more. For AI programs to be useful and financially viable, we need to ensure that our firms receive proper training in their operation. After all, any software is only as good as it is being used. Folks are a lot more likely to use a product if they know not just its use, but how to use it.

Furthermore, it is crucial to remember that AI is not, nor should it be, a complete replacement for attorneys or support staff. AI can be leveraged to make tasks easier and help attorneys deliver a higher level of service to their clients. However, there are numerous examples from the past 12 months of attorneys using AI to cut corners, often with disastrous results.

Choosing the right software

The following is a brief overview of some of the options available to attorneys and firms. Some may be suitable for the reader, while others may not be. It is crucial to understand what will work within the structure of each firm and which options may cause more disruption than they are worth.

Firm operations

There are multiple programs that might be beneficial for firm operations, covering services from beginning to end.

Clio is a legal practice management software that combines billing, communications, and document management to help law firms run more efficiently. Clio integrates with several other platforms and is heavily invested in the legal-tech industry. It has a custom LSA portal that works with the Google partnership, and works with various other platforms as well, including various other AI products.

A chatbot service like Intaker can use AI to create a more personalized experience for your audience and gather general information and case types from leads. Smith.ai is a virtual receptionist service that employs actual receptionists while utilizing AI chatbot features to log and route calls efficiently. Finally, Gideon is a client intake and document automation tool that learns to answer prospective client questions and qualify leads effectively. Both Smith.ai and Gideon also integrate with Clio.

Filevine was actually created by a fellow personal injury lawyer and is built to suit the needs of our type of practice. Some attorneys have actually incorporated it so much into their practice that it automates everything from intake to settlement. It has AI product built into it which continues to be developed. Filevine pulls data from cases, provides quick summaries, reviews depositions and more. One of their products, Lead Docket, helps qualify cases based upon your own specific criteria.

A product called Foundation AI automatically reviews and incorporates incoming documents, emails, and attachments from across your firm. This services profiles, matches, classifies, and saves each to your document management solution, and then automates document dependent workflows according to rules you specify. It also sorts, splits, and categorizes incoming documents.

Document creation

The major name in AI is, of course, ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot from OpenAI that responds to open-ended text queries with paragraphs of written answers. Theoretically, one could use ChatGPT to draft complaints and other types of documents. However, as with all software, attorneys must exercise caution and not rely too heavily on this or any tool. For example, last year in New York, an attorney was sanctioned for submitting a legal brief produced with ChatGPT that included "six fictitious case citations." Additionally, ChatGPT has generated text containing outdated law, provided poor legal advice, and/or produced content so bland it was not useful.

There is also a much newer product that may be more helpful for attorneys, though it is still in the testing stage and does not yet seem "ready for primetime." Auto-GPT is an open-source attempt to make GPT more autonomous. It could help attorneys think through tasks more thoroughly and possibly assist in creating legal strategies. However, this software is still being tested.

Research

One of the available services for legal research is Casetext. This platform uses AI to assist lawyers in quickly and efficiently finding relevant case law, statutes, and regulations. Casetext, which has been in operation since 2013, is one of the oldest AI products on the market. Notably, it integrates with Clio, a case management software.

Harvey AI is another legal research tool built on a version of OpenAI. It utilizes general legal data, such as case law and a law firm's own work products and templates, to support legal research on specific cases or tasks. Currently in beta form, some law firms use Harvey AI for tasks such as contract analysis, due diligence, and more.

Another AI research tool for attorneys is Blue J L&E, which aims to streamline legal research and analysis. This tool is designed to predict the outcomes of legal cases and analyze complex legal issues by identifying similar decisions.

LexisNexis introduced two AI products, one which is new and the other which is an updated version of a past product.

Lexis+AI is a legal AI assistant that was redesigned to offer faster results, provide guidance with drafting documents, provide answers to legal questions, provide statute summaries and more. It also has an increased document upload capacity. Another service, Nexis+AI provides access to more than 25,000 news publications and data on millions of companies worldwide. It also provides enhanced research, intelligence and document summarization features.

Document review

CoCounsel Core, designed by Casetext and purchased by Thomson Reuters, offers document review, deposition preparation, contract analysis, and timeline creation. It is marketed as a "time-saving" tool for attorneys, with claims that more than 10,000 law firms already use the service.

For firms involved in document review, AI products can be invaluable. Diligen enhances the document review process by using its AI software to conduct due diligence, review contracts for specific clauses, provisions, or changes, and quickly generate convenient summaries. Diligen also integrates with Clio. This is designed to save time while remaining accurate.

Medical records

For medical records, EvenUp is growing in popularity. It automates demand letters and is very cost-effective. It is also built to learn and synch with many case management platforms. It's also a learning product, so it should be better the more you use it.

PareIT was built by a biomechanical expert and practically designed for personal injury attorneys as well. An attorney can upload PDFs of a case (either a referral or general intake) and PareIT will organize everything into folders. This includes medical records and bills, photographs, discovery, depositions and more. It can also help develop timelines for cases.

It is essential to remember that AI is a tool for attorneys and staff, not a replacement. If a law firm mistakenly replaces humans with AI, it can expect significant issues in client relationships, accurate case citation, and more. AI can assist with tasks such as drafting briefs, but all work, especially detailed analysis, should be thoroughly reviewed.