Legal firms were slow to adopt technology for practice management, billing, document storage, or accounting using traditional methods. In the future, legal technology will enhance law firms’ ability to handle post-pandemic world challenges and provide better, faster, and more extensive services to clients.
The legal industry has a long way to go before it is fully digitized, but there has been significant progress in adopting advanced technologies in recent years. AI is an automated system that replicates human thinking processes and can make informed decisions based on data inputs or previous experiences. In this article, we’ll explore examples of AI adoption in the legal industry. We’ll also look at some of the more prominent AI trends we expect to see in the coming years. These top artificial intelligence trends have already begun to change how lawyers think about cases, evidence gathering, document imaging, and collaboration with virtual assistants.
Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal World
Legal Automation with AI
Artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly streamline and automate a wide range of business processes. This is particularly true in the legal sector, where much of the work is focused on gathering and analyzing data. In the legal industry, AI is most commonly used to automate routine tasks, such as contract review, due diligence, and case management. AI can also be applied to specific tasks that are incredibly time-consuming for humans, such as producing legal research or conducting data analytics. In addition to saving time, AI-driven automation can also reduce the risk of human error.
Data-Based Legal Decision Making
AI-driven decision-making is a key component of any legal workflow that uses data analytics. The technology has been used to develop predictive models that help lawyers identify risks and patterns that would otherwise go undetected. Some of these models are so complex that they can forecast the future with a high degree of accuracy, allowing lawyers to identify potential problems before they arise. Predictive modelling can be applied to a wide range of legal processes, from case management to discovery. The ability of AI-driven data analytics to detect patterns and draw connections between different datasets has also been used to address issues that might affect the outcome of a case. For example, AI-driven facial recognition software can be used to identify key individuals in video evidence that would otherwise go unnoticed by a human. Similarly, image recognition software can be used to identify elements that might affect the outcome of a case, such as the environmental conditions at the location of an accident.
Virtual Assistants in the Legal Industry
As more businesses adopt AI-driven virtual assistants, they are also increasingly showing up in the legal industry. AI assistants are used to complete a variety of tasks, such as answering basic legal questions, creating alerts for new developments, and scheduling appointments. Some legal AI assistants can even generate basic legal documents, such as petitions or contracts. A legal AI assistant is not a suitable tool for every situation, but it can help manage a heavy workload or keep up with a constant flow of information, such as legal research or case-related emails. The level of service that AI assistants provide may vary significantly across different vendors, so it’s important to research your options before committing to a particular solution.
Robotics and Machine Learning in Law
Robotics and machine learning are two AI technologies that are increasingly used in the legal industry. While both are likely to play an important role in the future of legal, robotics has received a lot more attention in the media. Robotics refers to the use of systems with autonomous capabilities. This can include autonomous vehicles that can drive passengers to their destination or drones used to gather evidence in the field. In the legal industry, robotics has been used to automate processes, such as the delivery of documents. They were used to develop intelligent digital assistants, such as the legal assistant created by ROSS Intelligence, that can assist lawyers in legal research.
Legal Applications & Chatbots
The rise of virtual assistants has also led to the development of new legal applications, such as legal chatbots. Legal chatbots are designed to provide basic legal information or facilitate basic transactions. They are growing in popularity for consumer-facing legal services, such as Wix Legal and Legal Zoom, but they have also been used in the corporate space. Although legal chatbots are a useful tool for providing basic information, they should not be viewed as a complete solution for all legal needs. In particular, they are not well suited for complex legal transactions or situations that require detailed legal advice.
Data Breaches
Over the past few years, we have seen some high-profile data breaches occur, including the massive Equifax hack that exposed sensitive data for millions of people. These events have highlighted the need for stricter cyber security protocols in the legal industry, as well as other industries. AI is often cited as a key technology that can be used to prevent data breaches. Data breaches can happen when an unauthorised person gains access to sensitive data, such as passwords, bank account information, or social security numbers. While data breaches can occur in many different ways, the most common method is through a computer network breach. In these cases, hackers gain access to a computer network and can steal sensitive data remotely. AI can be used to protect against computer network breaches by monitoring network activity and identifying any unusual patterns that may indicate a breach is taking place.
Legal and Predictive Analytics
Legal predictive analytics are used to draw conclusions based on historical data. Legal predictive analytics can be used to identify what factors are prone to result in litigation and the likelihood of a court case being successful based on the details of the case. Legal analytics can be used to make predictions about a wide range of issues, including the likelihood of a judge approving a request for discovery or the likelihood of a case being decided by a jury. Some legal analytics systems are capable of making predictions with up to 90% accuracy and have been used to automate a wide range of tedious data collection and analysis tasks.
Access to Justice
One of the biggest challenges facing the legal industry is ensuring that anyone who needs legal services can access them. In some cases, people may not be able to afford a lawyer and could benefit from legal assistance but lack the resources to obtain it. In other cases, people may be unaware that legal services are available to them. Artificial intelligence can be used to help make legal services more accessible by automating the intake process for pro bono attorneys, enabling them to more efficiently identify cases that would benefit from their help. AI can also be used to create online tools to help people understand the legal options available to them, such as online legal guides that walk people through the process of bringing a lawsuit on their own.
AI: A Lawyer’s Replacement?
Many innovative solutions have been introduced in the legal field to improve the productivity of lawyers, contract analysis, trademark search software, legal research software, and more. However, none of the AI-based software is meant to replace lawyers, but to improve the veracity and accuracy of research and analysis.
In India, the legal industry is still evolving, with more AI-based automation tools and software being developed. This AI-based automated assistance software will not replace the legal profession that requires analysis, decision-making and layering, but will make it more efficient and competent while automating numerous office jobs.
Insider’s Takeaway
The legal industry has a long way to go before it is fully digitized, but there has been significant progress in the adoption of advanced technologies in recent years. This increased use of automation and digital services has also corresponded with a rise in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in space. AI is an automated system that replicates human thinking processes and can make informed decisions based on data inputs or previous experiences. In this article, we’ll explore examples of AI adoption in the legal industry. We’ll also look at some of the more prominent AI trends we expect to see more of in the coming years. These top artificial intelligence trends have already begun to change how lawyers think about cases, evidence gathering, document imaging, and collaboration with virtual assistants.
References:
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/know/future-ready-lawyer-2021
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Equifax_data_breach
https://www.information-age.com/artificial-intelligence-in-the-legal-industry-123473948/
