How AI and Machine Learning are Transforming Law Firms

The practice of law is a strange combination of tedium and excitement. Those that love the practice of law are finding that AI is freeing their time to focus on the more exciting aspects of the law. Artificial intelligence software is now involved in everything from the filing of pleadings to the management of documents and contracts. 

Contract management has long been a tedious undertaking for law firms. It is often impossible for attorneys to actually read large volumes of contracts, even if it is a case they are litigating. AI-driven software, such as Cobblestone and Evisort, are making the job easier. 

Contract management software makes managing contracts, across a wide array of platforms, much more manageable. Attorney’s can now sort, categorize and create new contacts with just a few keystrokes. 

Contract management software that utilizes AI and machine learning to understand the meaning in contacts makes reading the entire contract unnecessary. Machine learning algorithms can pull significant dates. The software is also capable of recognizing, and flagging, unusual language.

The ability to flag contractual dates, and unusual language, serves as a significant risk mitigator.  Contract management is just one area revolutionized by AI and machine learning. In legal practices, AI is now:

• Analyzing and categorizing documents. AI and machine learning have revolutionized the filing system, and the amount of work it took, in many practices.
• Making legal research more efficient
• Help perform due diligence. In legal terms, due diligence means amassing background information on behalf of clients.

• Creating and assisting in filing routine pleadings. Many legal pleading such as discovery requests, can be generated directly from the case file and filed all within minutes. Reducing the work of filing routine pleadings and answers is freeing up a large quantity of time. That time can be used on the more critical parts of a case.

• Data mining. Law firms are repositories of vast quantities of information from many different sectors. This data is valuable, and AI technology is helping practices access the data when needed.

AI is capable of quickly analyzing large volumes of data to predict outcomes. This ability to sort through vast amounts of input has created the ability for AI to predict likely outcomes in proceedings. These predictions allow attorneys to give their clients answers about the likelihood of winning or losing at trial. It can also offer settlement predictions.

Billing and practice management were the first areas of the legal sector to embrace AI-backed technology. Time recording technology can automatically log hours worked and automatically generate invoices. AI is involved in many forms of practice management that help to track everything from office supplies to court dates. 

Predictive coding is built into much software at use in legal practices. Predictive coding is a form of machine learning that allows the machine to learn which documents are the most relevant. The machine can then return search results that have the highest relevancy, saving vast quantities of time. 

Online legal research, such as LexisNexis implemented AI-driven search results some time ago. AI has helped to improve search results, ensuring that attorneys receive the most relevant case law. Before AI was implemented, these online databases often returned a large volume of data.

Sorting through the legal research returned was a time-consuming task, and often the most relevant data was overlooked. AI helped improve search results, which has helped attorneys know that they are using the most timely and precise precedents. 

There has been reluctance in some areas of the legal field to embrace all that AI-driven technology can provide. Some fears may be well-founded. One concern is that with AI making it efficient and easy to find legal information, that people will attempt to bypass using an attorney for legal matters.

Though AI can make the job of a lawyer easier, it cannot replace legal counsel. DIY divorces and business contracts will leave dangerous legal loopholes. The threat from AI is not inside legal practices but from those using technology meant for legal practices without oversight.