We’re within the midst of a seismic technological shift that may reinvent workflows and radically alter the follow of regulation. Synthetic intelligence is bettering at an unprecedented tempo, with new authorized AI instruments rolling out often, some stand-alone and others as options constructed into current authorized software program platforms.
AI has nice promise for the authorized career, providing the potential to streamline authorized work and scale back repetitive, mundane duties. Over the previous 12 months, some key authorized capabilities have been impacted by including AI performance, together with generative AI options. These embrace legal research, document review, and contract lifecycle management.
One other notable space of AI innovation contains doc drafting and evaluation. AI expertise is especially helpful on this context. For starters, it could help with enhancing textual content, bettering writing, altering tone or summarizing a doc—options that many authorized tech corporations have begun to incorporate of their platforms.
Different use instances embrace doc drafting, which entails making a doc from scratch, or doc evaluation, which assists with the overview and interactive evaluation of prolonged paperwork, equivalent to depositions, trial memorandums, appellate briefs or trial transcripts.
These options profit litigators and permit them to give attention to higher-level duties that contain analyzing complicated authorized arguments and strategizing responsive pleadings. Due to this performance’s excessive worth, an growing variety of transient writing and evaluation instruments that incorporate AI options have been launched.
Under, I’ll present an outline of this software program class by that includes instruments designed for solo and small regulation corporations. You’ll find out about elements to contemplate when deciding on a platform, together with some obtainable instruments.
Selecting AI transient writing and evaluation software program
Earlier than researching your choices, it’s important that you simply totally perceive your agency’s wants and the way these instruments will match into the litigation workflow. What are litigators’ most important ache factors when working with paperwork? What kinds of work gradual the group down? How can AI take away the extra tedious duties from their plates?
Don’t neglect about different software program that’s already in use. Integrations could be essential when working with paperwork. Any new AI software program should combine along with your firm’s present doc creation instruments. Failure to take action may render time-tested, instrumental software program important to your agency’s workflows ineffective or unnecessarily clunky.
Moreover, it’s necessary to grasp that you simply’ll be entrusting your agency’s confidential consumer knowledge to a 3rd social gathering for the cloud-based instruments listed under. Because of this you will have an moral obligation to completely vet the tech supplier internet hosting and storing your agency’s knowledge. This obligation contains acquiring info on how the info will probably be dealt with by that firm; the place the servers on which the info will probably be saved are situated; who can have entry to it; and the way usually and when it is going to be backed up, amongst different issues.
Moreover, if the software program contains AI options, you’ll need to discover accuracy charges, how the corporate protects your knowledge, and whether or not your group’s knowledge inputs are used to coach AI fashions to enhance responses.
With that in thoughts, let’s study a few of the software program that falls below this class. Giant corporations, equivalent to LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg Regulation, present such a software program. However it isn’t cost-efficient for many small corporations, so solely instruments designed for small agency attorneys will probably be coated.
Under, you’ll discover a roundup of a few of the foremost choices obtainable. Make the most of demos provided and test-drive the software program if that’s provided.
Generative AI transient writing and evaluation instruments
First up is Clearbrief, which operates inside Microsoft Phrase and depends on proprietary AI software program. Clearbrief assists with reviewing, drafting and cite-checking paperwork. It additionally facilitates the moment era of reveals and tables of authorities, together with the flexibility to simply create a hyperlinked last draft. The AI performance permits the swift creation of timelines.
It additionally supplies proof recommendations obtained from litigation paperwork that assist a factual proposition or assertion obtained from a pleading, memo or different sort of case-related submitting. The price is $142 per month for solo and small corporations if paying yearly.
BriefCatch is one other Microsoft Phrase add-in that assists with transient writing. It’s powered by an AI software program system that helps authorized professionals enhance their writing expertise and create extra persuasive and efficient paperwork.
The system analyzes written paperwork and offers customers real-time suggestions on sentence size, readability and phrase alternative. The software program analyzes paperwork for tone, readability and grammar. Pricing begins at $33 per month when billed yearly.
EzBriefs by Benchly can also be a Microsoft Phrase add-in powered by machine studying. Its present model automates desk of authority creation and quotation checking.
Later this 12 months, it’ll roll out transient overview and evaluation options that may allow the drafting, sharing and reviewing of paperwork containing cited authority. Annual pricing is $600 per litigator.
A notable point out that assists with transient writing however doesn’t depend on AI is WordRake. It really works in Microsoft Phrase and Outlook. This enhancing software program is grounded in subtle algorithms that streamline authorized writing by offering urged edits and purple strains tailor-made to the wants of authorized writing. The Phrase add-in prices $149 annually, and the Phrase plus Outlook model is priced at $229 per 12 months.
AI instruments are quickly altering how authorized professionals work with paperwork, making workflows extra environment friendly and streamlined. By automating duties equivalent to drafting, enhancing and analyzing briefs, AI software program saves time and reduces the burden of repetitive work. These developments allow attorneys to focus extra on strategic duties and consumer interactions, permitting them to supply higher and extra responsive authorized companies.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based lawyer, creator and journalist, and he or she is senior director of subject material experience and exterior training at MyCase, an organization that provides authorized follow administration software program for small corporations. She is the nationally acknowledged creator of Cloud Computing for Legal professionals and is co-author of Social Media for Legal professionals: The Subsequent Frontier, each revealed by the American Bar Affiliation. She writes common columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Regulation, has authored lots of of articles for different publications, and often speaks at conferences relating to the intersection of regulation and rising applied sciences. Comply with her on X (previously Twitter) @nikiblack, or she could be reached at [email protected].
This column displays the opinions of the creator and never essentially the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Affiliation.