How Legal Departments Are Using AI Technologies

Cutting through the AI noise - here are 5 use cases for using generative AI today in a law practice: 1) Having AI draft initial responses to standard discovery requests, pulling directly from client documents and past cases—turning 3 hours of document review into 20 minutes of attorney verification. 2) Using AI to analyze deposition transcripts and build detailed witness chronologies, flagging inconsistencies and potential credibility issues that could be crucial at trial. 3) Feeding settlement agreements from similar cases to AI to generate initial settlement terms, helping attorneys start negotiations with data-backed proposals rather than gut instinct. 4) Having AI review client intake forms and past matters to spot potential conflicts of interest—moving beyond simple name matching to identify subtle relationship patterns. 5) Using AI to draft routine motions and pleadings by learning from the firm's document history, maintaining consistent arguments while adapting to case-specific facts. The real value isn't replacing attorney judgment. It's eliminating the mechanical tasks that keep great lawyers from doing their best work. What specific AI applications are you seeing succeed (or fail) in your practice? #legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

In the vanguard of legal innovation, generative AI (GAI) is propelling the legal profession into a new era of efficiency and expanded capabilities. A recent survey reveals a significant embrace of GAI within the Am Law 200 firms, showcasing a shift from skepticism to adoption with compelling evidence of enhanced productivity, quality, and speed in legal tasks when leveraging tools like GPT-4. The impact of AI in law extends beyond mere productivity enhancements: -Evolving Lawyer Roles: As tasks become automated, lawyers are transitioning from doing to directing, focusing on integrating AI into workflows, managing automated processes, and ensuring precise engagement of resources. -Enhanced Predictive Analytics: Improved data quality from automation leads to more accurate case analysis and financial forecasting, enabling firms to optimize case selection and fee structures. -Access to Information Revolutionized: Natural Language Interfaces (NLIs) like Harvey offer direct, query-based access to legal information, simplifying research and compliance checks. -Emergence of New Legal Services: Nearly half of law firm leaders are exploring new billable services powered by GAI, including real-time regulatory compliance and data privacy services. As we stand at the precipice of this transformative period, it's clear that AI's role in legal practice is not just a fleeting trend but a cornerstone of future legal services. Transforming the Business of Law™ Let's explore how to future-proof your practice and offer innovative solutions to your clients. #LegalTech #AIInLaw #FutureOfLaw #LegalInnovation #GenerativeAI

I'm an applied scientist, I'm in the business of advancing humanity's knowledge of how to apply technology to advance society. Relativity's Applied Science team is heads-down on the next set of advances for legal technology, but I'm going to pause and reflect on some of the growing evidence demonstrating the validity of our approach and how AI is transforming the legal technology field. First, there's the excellent Vals Legal AI Report, benchmarking the ability of AI to perform various legal tasks, meeting and exceeding the ability of attorneys to do the same work: https://www.vals.ai/vlair. In this study, multiple AI tools were pitted against experienced lawyers across seven common tasks (from document Q&A to contract redlining). The outcome? In four of the tasks, at least one AI tool outscored the human lawyers, and in a fifth task the top AI equaled human performance . The AI excelled particularly at more formulaic or data-intensive tasks like document analysis and extraction, while humans retained an edge in a couple of more complex, reasoning-intensive scenarios. Additionally, in "AI-Powered Lawyering: AI Reasoning Models, Retrieval Augmented Generation, and the Future of Legal Practice", researchers conducted the first randomized controlled trial assessing these technologies, assigning upper-level law students to complete six legal tasks using a RAG-powered legal AI tool (Vincent AI), an AI reasoning model (OpenAI’s o1-preview), or no AI. They found that both AI tools significantly enhanced legal work quality, a marked contrast with previous research examining older large language models like GPT-4. Moreover, they found that these models maintained the efficiency benefits associated with use of older AI technologies. Their findings show that AI assistance significantly boosts productivity in five out of six tested legal tasks, with Vincent yielding statistically significant gains of approximately 38% to 115% and o1-preview increasing productivity by 34% to 140%, with particularly strong effects in complex tasks like drafting persuasive letters and analyzing complaints. What am I most excited about? Benjamin Sexton has published a recent collection of anecdotes from across the industry. The anecdotes included point estimates for precision and recall for 16 uses of generative AI to identify relevant documents for production. These users were able to build AI classifiers that achieved on average 80% precision and 95% recall, saving cost, effort, and time for their customers. Legal professionals should no longer be wondering, "Is generative AI ready for legal?" The evidence continues to grow every day well beyond doubt – the real question now is, "How can we integrate it well into our practice?" For those preparing to embrace this transformation, the path forward is clear: identify pilot projects, select trusted AI platforms, and start refining workflows to capitalize on these efficiency gains. #Legaltech #GenerativeAI #eDiscovery

I've worked with a dozen law firms. The most forward-looking are using AI to explore the shift from billable-hour to value-based pricing. But that requires everyone - from leadership down - to shift their working behavior to using LLMs multiple times daily across diverse tasks. A recent Reuters analysis by Karen Kwok details why this shift away from billable hours is so urgent. ++++++++++ THE MATH PROBLEM THREATENING BIG LAW 82% of U.S. law firm partners' work is charged by the hour, with senior partners billing up to $3,000 per hour. But Goldman Sachs estimates that 44% of legal tasks could be automated by AI. Being productive can end up generating less revenue. The American Bar Association says lawyers can only charge for actual time spent on tasks, even if AI allows them to perform them faster. When an AI agent drafts an NDA in minutes instead of hours, firms face a revenue cliff. ++++++++++ TWO PATHS FORWARD 1. Replace junior staff with AI Let AI handle routine tasks while keeping high-value human work. But this creates a pipeline problem (which exists in a lot of organizations) - who replaces retiring partners? Associates are already shrinking from 45% of headcount in 2005-2009 to 40% today. Plus, AI still needs human oversight because of hallucinations. 2. Move to value-based pricing Productivity gains boost margins instead of hurting revenue. McKinsey, Bain, and BCG already do this with flat project fees. ++++++++++ THE DEEPER CHALLENGE Under the classic law firm model, revenue splits three ways: overhead, salaries, and partner profit. This means charging juniors out at minimum 3x their pay. But clients will balk at applying this markup to AI agents. Why should a firm add 300% markup to software they bought? Clients could argue they should just buy their own AI tools instead. ++++++++++ WHAT FORWARD-THINKING FIRMS ARE DOING 1. Building AI fluency at every level Requiring daily AI use across diverse tasks - contract review, research, client communication. AI fluency (actual daily usage, not just ‘understanding’) must be as fundamental as legal research skills. 2. Restructuring pricing proactively Experimenting with value-based pricing on routine work where outcomes are predictable, then expanding to complex matters. 3. Redefining roles, not eliminating them. Using AI to elevate junior associates into strategic work rather than replacing them. This maintains the pipeline while improving outcomes. Each firm will choose their path forward. But it has to start with a firm-wide behavioral shift. +++++++++ UPSKILL YOUR ORGANIZATION: When your organization is ready to create an AI-powered culture—not just add tools—AI Mindset can help. We drive behavioral transformation at scale through a powerful new digital course and enterprise partnership. DM me, or check out our website.

On a day dominated by DeepSeek AI, LexisNexis dropped a significant AI addon called "Protege." Some excellent details via ABA Journal and Danielle Braff in the comments: 1️⃣ "The new program uses Lexis+ AI technology to complete tasks based on the user’s goals. This includes its ability to draft transactional documents, litigation motions, briefs and complaints. A key component of Protégé is its ability to check its work, the company said in a press release." 2️⃣ "Users can upload tens of thousands of legal documents to the Protégé vault, and the technology can summarize, draft and research the documents. Protégé can also create a timeline of events from that paperwork. It can help users discover similar motions and arguments to refine their strategy and identify weaknesses. Users can ask Protégé to summarize complex documents up to 300 pages long, which is a 250% increase over previous limits, the company said." One of the primary reasons AI has been slowly adopted in law firms is the very real risk of hallucincations or fake resources used to create motions. This has already been penalized in multiple litigation cases with multiple attorneys. The difference is most of those attorneys used public large language models that can be free or light cost. This version of Agentic AI has aspects that can be selectively trained on only the documents/data provided while utilizing pre-designed rules and time saving methods. I'm excited to work with LN to discuss the security specifications and help to promote data privacy and ethical use of AI for Law Firms that are open to innovation. If you are an attorney, does this move the need for you?

Legal Eagles, Meet Your AI Copilot: How Generative AI Is Revolutionizing Legal Research The legal landscape is notoriously demanding. Mountains of precedent, evolving statutes, and ever-expanding case law create a dizzying maze for even the most seasoned legal minds. But imagine a powerful research assistant in your corner, capable of analyzing vast datasets, extracting pertinent information, and generating comprehensive insights – enter generative AI. This game-changer in legal research brings unprecedented speed, accuracy, and efficiency to the game: * Uncover Hidden Gems: AI can sift through oceans of legal data, identifying relevant cases, statutes, and scholarly articles you might have missed, even in obscure jurisdictions. No stone goes unturned in your search for the strongest arguments. * Go Deep, Dive Fast: Need precise legal arguments on a niche point? AI can analyze complex legal concepts and break them down into clear, actionable insights, saving you hours of painstaking research. * Predict Case Outcomes: Certain AI models can analyze past judgments and precedents to predict potential outcomes, giving you a crucial edge in crafting your legal strategy. The benefits extend far beyond just efficient research: * Enhanced Confidence: Informed by a comprehensive review of relevant legal material, you can approach your case with greater confidence, knowing you've left no stone unturned. * Improved Client Services: Dedicate more time to high-value client interaction and strategic planning, rather than getting bogged down in research. * Cost Savings: Streamlining research processes means saving time and resources, making your legal practice more efficient and cost-effective. Of course, embracing AI doesn't mean replacing human judgment. AI remains a powerful tool to augment your expertise, not replace it. Critical thinking, analytical skills, and strategic acumen are still the cornerstones of a successful legal career. Ready to level up your legal research game? 1) Share your biggest research challenges in the comments. 2) Let's discuss how AI can help you overcome them and build rock-solid legal arguments. #LegalAI #GenerativeAI #LegalResearch #LawPractice #Efficiency #Innovation P.S. Don't forget to like & share!

The way legal work gets done is shifting faster than many realize. When I was a first-year associate, I spent a lot of time reviewing software licensing agreements for a senior partner. I wasn’t the one negotiating. But I was learning what to flag, what mattered, and what was boilerplate. That’s how a lot of us were trained. This week, I learned about Crosby, a new hybrid AI law firm that uses AI to review contracts in under an hour. Attorneys still review and approve everything. But the first pass isn’t done by a junior attorney. It’s done by AI. Crosby has already reviewed over 1,000 contracts this year, with a median turnaround of 58 minutes. They charge a flat fee per document rather than by the hour. If AI takes the first cut, how do we train the next generation of lawyers? And when billing shifts from hourly to flat fees, should the fee reflect the reviewer’s experience? This might be a glimpse of what lies ahead. I signed up to see how Crosby’s service works in practice.  Would you hire a firm that works this way? #AIEnabledAttorney

Curious about the impact of the Reveal’s AI supercharged tech in the hands of the right brilliant people? Let me break it down. Faced with 9 million documents, Salient eDiscovery helped sharp legal team paired leverage Reveal’s Active Learning to reduce the review set to just 55,000—an astonishing 99.4% reduction—while leaving no stone unturned. Yes, you heard that right less than 1% percent, ( .6%), documents actually reviewed by humans because the power of AI. “In the end, our legal client reviewed less than 1% of the overall document count, having reassured themselves that they could have confidence they were not missing out on anything of significance. This saved considerable expensive review time and expedited the case assessment stage of the process by at least a year.” Here’s how it worked: • AI in Action: continuously learned from human feedback, refining relevance rankings with precision. • Data-Driven Decisions: Intuitive dashboards provided real-time insights, ensuring the team stayed focused on the most important documents. • Efficiency Redefined: A process that could have taken over a year was completed in just 90 days, saving time and significant costs. This is more than just streamlining—it’s about empowering teams to focus on what truly matters, with confidence in their results. Want to see what’s possible when cutting-edge tech meets a brilliant team? Let’s talk. #LegalTech #AI #eDiscovery Wendell R Jisa Reveal https://lnkd.in/e4zyDMd8

AI is quietly slashing legal bills...and not just for the big guys. At the companies my family owns, we’ve seen a ~30% reduction in legal costs over the past year to 18 months, and we’re not alone. I’ve talked to several other small and medium-sized business owners who’ve seen similar savings, mostly by shifting routine legal work in-house with help from AI. We’re not talking about replacing lawyers altogether, but rather using AI to handle the repetitive, expensive stuff, first draft communications, contract analysis, compliance checks etc. The kind of work that legal teams have traditionally billed by the hour (often billed at lawyer's rates and done by paralegals)… but that LLMs can now do in seconds. And the numbers are staggering: -A recent study (link in comments) found that AI could complete invoice review 99.97% cheaper than a human reviewer, with higher accuracy. -The same holds true for contract reviews: faster, more consistent, and dramatically less expensive. These aren’t just theoretical gains. They’re happening now, and businesses that embrace these tools are freeing up both time and capital. I’m curious, if you run or advise a business, are you seeing similar savings? Or are you still on the fence about using AI in legal workflows? Let’s talk real-world results. #AI #legalspending #paralegal Disclaimer: This written content was entirely human-generated. The image was AI-generated.