Elevate Your Legal Practice: Picking the Right AI Legal Tool

Introduction

In this article, we will review several legal professional-specific artificial intelligence tools. Artificial intelligence has single-handedly transformed legal professional work and continues to improve across multiple platforms.

With the development of the state-of-the-art language model ChatGPT by OpenAI, other AI tools have been designed with various machine learning architectures. The current GPT 4 model utilizes the transformer model, widely accepted as a robust natural language processing architecture from the paper “Attention is All You Need,” published in 2017. The transformer architecture utilizes the concept of self-attention, which has proven to excel in processing sequences, particularly natural languages, and is adopted in other architectures, such as long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. Further explaining such is beyond the scope of this article, though it is important to note that technical innovations in ML training and inference have and will continue to evolve.

The vast number of players in the artificial intelligence industry have developed multiple artificial intelligence tools with broad applications. Legal professionals nowadays seek to leverage the potential of AI in boosting efficiency in their work, and various AI tools aiding document review and legal research are sought after in the fast-paced legal environment. As demonstrated in previous articles, simple prompts can assist lawyers and paralegals in streamlining tedious and repetitive paperwork, enabling professionals to allocate their valuable time elsewhere. While there is always the lingering question of reliability as the law is a precise endeavor, the continuous improvements of artificial intelligence models in their training phases and information processing capabilities enable AI tools to provide accurate assistance.

AI in law has a wide use of applications, and many tools include various features, including document drafting, review, and legal research. AI tools can serve as legal assistants to further streamline legal procedures and enhance the efficiency of legal workers’ daily legal tasks. Currently, there are countless AI tools available to support legal professionals. However, it may be overwhelming with the massive landscape of legal assistant AI tools, and deciding which tool to use can be challenging. One should consider the following elements, as AI tools can vary significantly based on their functionalities, features, and design purposes.

Legal Expertise: AI tools can be fine-tuned and customized, catering to specific fields or usages even under a standard model and engine. Generally, the AI tool should be designed specifically for legal tasks and trained on legal terminology, language, procedures, etc. Depending on one’s practice area, it should also be helpful to prioritize tools that excel at legal tasks relevant to one’s work.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Capabilities: Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of artificial intelligence that utilizes machine learning to process the structure and meaning of a text. NLP enables large volumes of text to be consistently analyzed, serving as the basis of various applications. AI tools must have advanced NLP capabilities, precisely interpreting blocks of legal text and generating accurate responses.

Document Review and Analysis: Some AI tools can provide document review and analysis features to identify critical legal information and details. The review process can point out errors and inconsistencies that go unnoticed by the human eye, thereby enhancing legal accuracy and eradicating flaws.

Legal Research: Legal research is a critical feature facilitating legal professionals to gather relevant legal information promptly. This process can include AI tools scanning large legal databases, statutes, case laws, and regulations, providing summaries, citations, legal updates or developments, and an overall robust understanding of the area of research.

Drafting and Automation: Artificial intelligence has shown its edge in drafting and automating text in recent years. Especially in the legal field, many professionals face time-consuming, repetitive tasks involving writing. AI software can provide drafts of legal documents, including contracts and agreements, and selecting tools with reliable performance in writing is vital.

Data Security and Compliance: The sensitive nature of legal information requires that AI tools prioritize data and information security, encryption, and compliance with basic legal and ethical standards. AI tools must ensure confidentiality and provide user information protection.

Analytics and Predictions: An AI tool that provides predictive analytics is of high value, as it can enable legal professionals to view up-to-date analytics regarding legal data and information, which can bolster legal strategies with data-driven insights. For instance, predictive analytics can help assess risks and anticipate case outcomes based on historical legal data and patterns.

User Interface: Whether traditional AI systems or generative AI, a user-friendly interface will enable users to interact easily with the AI tool when inputting queries or text and interpreting the outcome or results.

Legal Feedback: Legal work with the aid of AI still requires human intervention in the end, as the current output of the tools isn’t flawless. For precision and accuracy in one’s work, it is preferred to select tools that hire legal professionals to refine or add legal data and information to the responses of the model, undergoing continuous improvements.

Introducing Popular Legal AI Tools

This section will introduce a few of the popular AI tools currently available for legal professionals. It will cover a few options, features, and user benefits.

LawGeex

LawGeex is a legal AI tool that streamlines contract review processes and automates redlining. Powered by its machine learning algorithm, LawGeex specializes in analyzing contrasts and determining potential issues on compliance with relevant guidelines. The secure algorithm can further redline legal contracts based on user-predefined restrictions or policies. LawGeex also offers collaboration features, a platform where legal professionals can work together to streamline the contract review process. Features include adding comments and assigning tasks within the platform. LawGeex has claimed its artificial intelligence model to have achieved a three times faster deal-closing time while reaching 94% accuracy and saving 80% of the time typically used in reviewing and approving contracts. With AI automation and collaboration features, LawGeex is a popular platform that can handle tedious tasks while offering live representation and user support.

DoNotPay

DoNotPay is a versatile AI-powered legal robot lawyer with a built-in chatbot. The platform assists its users with legal document drafting and delivers advice based on consumer rights and legal dispute solutions. DoNotPay is accessible to those seeking legal assistance on various issues, including daily matters, and incorporates a user-friendly interface. The AI tool empowers its users by protecting their money through legal means, finding hidden money by reducing property taxes or discovering financial support opportunities, beating bureaucracy through assisting communication with governmental organizations, and notarizing documents. The company’s mission is to utilize artificial intelligence to help consumers fight legally and level the legal playing field by making critical information accessible to all.

Latch

Latch is a generative AI contracting assistant that helps legal teams reduce the time, effort, and cost spent negotiating agreements. Its software is designed to streamline contract drafting for legal professionals and is powered by GPT-4. For data privacy and security, contract information of involved parties isn’t stored but used temporarily to maintain playbooks. Latch is integrated into Microsoft Word, providing redline suggestions and determining compliance with market standards. Specifically, Latch provides analysis of contract agreements and provides visibility into key risks, modifies language with custom instructions, and generates instant summaries of agreements. Custom features include data-driven analytics and performance visualization.

Westlaw Edge

Westlaw Edge is powered by AI-enhanced capabilities, enabling users to streamline their research process and strategize their approach. Parented by Thomson Reuters, its legal software expedites mass amounts of legal research. Westlaw Edge explores plans for law firms, companies, and government agencies while offering AI-powered assistance in other complex tasks, including accounting and taxation. The software enhances legal research by providing predictive research suggestions, actionable data for strategy improvements, and gaps or inconsistencies in legal documents. Additionally, the AI tool enables statutes and regulation comparison, identifying modifications over time for accurate research. Westlaw Edge’s advanced analytics, alongside its massive and up-to-date database with updated legal information such as primary and secondary law, exhibits its robustness and is a sought-after tool among legal professionals.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget ChatGPT. Previous topics and prompts were run on ChatGPT for demonstration, and ChatGPT remains a powerful generative AI tool with applications in the legal landscape. It has been shown previously how Chat GPT can assist lawyers and which prompts one should employ. Yet, ChatGPT is not specialized in legal practices, and relying solely on its responses is unsafe. Previous articles have long discussed helpful prompts, so refer to those for more information.

Final Thoughts

This article reviewed tips on selecting the right legal AI tool and several recommendations. It is important to note that countless other AI tools are available besides those mentioned above, and users should explore and inquire about their functionalities before selecting the right tool. Each AI assistant tool offers unique features, and the final evaluation should be driven by user experience and trial and error. In a world where AI technology is rapidly researched and developed, legal professionals can remain competitive with the right AI tools and provide high-quality services to clients.