Artificial intelligence tools have the power to supercharge your law firm and save you money as you increase your efficiency, productivity, and capabilities. But these tools come with limitations, and when used improperly, they could lead to security problems, hallucinations, or just plain stupidity. Modern firms, however, can't afford to just sit and wait for AI to mature. Lawyers need to understand the tools, their uses, their problems, and their potential. Below is a collection of AI tools that lawyers and law firms may use. Some are specific to the legal field, while others are made available to the general public. Use this portal to help you responsibly navigate emerging AI tools and features.
There is an abundance of artificial intelligence software to choose from. And there is more coming onto the market almost daily. Even if you have identified your firm’s specific needs, it’s a challenge to sort through dozens of products to find a good fit. There, you can sort your options based on your firm’s specific needs.
Whether you are a first-time shopper or considering a switch for your firm, we’ll try to make it easy. Here’s how to choose the best law practice management software for your firm:
1. Understand Capabilities
Do some research on what types of AI tools are out there. Use this portal, check out our Field Guide, or listen to one of the many podcasts we have on the subject.
2. Determine Your Needs
Next, identify your firm’s specific needs. Break down your legal management software requirements into must-have and nice-to-have features. (Use the feature descriptions below as a guide.)
One of the best places to start is to lay out your office procedures, from start to finish. Write them down using something like OneNote, or Google Docs. Then, look for legal management software that fits your needs. Find out if your office needs software that has robust workflow systems, or if you needs something that will integrate with third party document automation software. If you are a Personal Injury firm, you’ll likely want something that syncs well with your current CRM and client intake software.
3. Filter Your Artificial Intelligence Choices
Once you’ve got a feel for the capabilities and your office’s needs, it’s time to fit a product into your tech stack. Use this portal to determine which products fit your needs best.
4. Try Before Your Buy
Finally, sign up for a trial account with each of the likely options, put them through their paces, and select the one that will work best for your firm.
Most AI products are built in such a way that they are inherently insecure. If this box is checked, the product or application claims to keep data secure and away from the prying eyes of the public. Although users should not put client information into these platforms, typically sensitive company information is safe.
While some products are secure enough for your own data, others go the extra step of making sure no third party (even themselves) have access to any of the data in your AI product. In these cases, the provider claims that your data is secure enough to maintain your client's Attorney/Client privilege.
Can this product be used for basic marketing tasks like blog creation, social media videos, or website images?
Can this product be used to help document how to do something, whether internal or external facing?
Is this product helpful with basic, non-legal research?
Although answers from any large language model tool should be double checked by an appropriate expert, some products claim to be trained on legal specific information. In these cases, it may be reasonable to trust them with legal specific questions or research. Keep in mind, however, that your professional rules likely require you to check their work.
Will this product assist in basic drafting of non-legal specific documents (e.g. email, invoices, job descriptions)?
Can this product be useful in handling legal specific drafting?
Can this product be used to create and manage contracts?
