LEGALTECH TOOLS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT — from techdayhq.com

Enter legaltech: a field that marries the power of technology with the complexities of the law. From automating tedious tasks to enhancing research effectiveness, let’s delve into the world of legaltech and unmask the crucial tools everyone should know.

Should AI and Humans be Treated the Same Under the Law–Under a “Reasonable Robot” Standard? (Ryan Abbott – UCLA);  Technically Legal – A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast

If a human uses artificial intelligence to invent something, should the invention be patentable?

If a driverless car injures a pedestrian, should the AI driver be held to a negligence standard as humans would? Or should courts apply the strict liability used for product defects?

What if AI steals money from a bank account? Should it be held to the same standard as a human under criminal law?

All interesting questions and the subject of a book called the Reasonable Robot by this episode’s guest Ryan Abbott.

Colin Levy, Dorna Moini, and Ashley Carlisle on Herding Cats and Heralding Change: The Inside Scoop on the “Handbook of Legal Tech” — from geeklawblog.com by Greg Lambert & Marlene Gebauer

The guests offered advice to law students and lawyers looking to learn about and leverage legal tech. Carlisle emphasized starting with an open mind, intentional research, and reading widely from legal tech thought leaders. Moini recommended thinking big but starting small with iterative implementation. Levy stressed knowing your purpose and motivations to stay focused amidst the vast array of options.

Lambert prompted the guests to identify low-hanging fruit legal technologies those new to practice should focus on. Levy pointed to document automation and AI. Moini noted that intake and forms digitization can be a first step for laggards. Carlisle advised starting small with discrete tasks before tackling advanced tools.

For their forward-looking predictions, Carlisle saw AI hype fading but increasing tech literacy, Levy predicted growing focus on use and analysis of data as AI advances, and Moini forecasted a rise in online legal service delivery. The guests are excited about spreading awareness through the book to help transform the legal industry.

You’ll never be solo again — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
Generative AI can be the partner, the assistant, the mentor, and the confidant that many sole practitioners and new lawyers never had. There’s just one small drawback…

In terms of legal support, a terrific illustration of Gen AI’s potential is provided by Deborah Merritt in a three-part blog series this month at Law School Cafe. Deborah explores the use of ChatGPT-4 as an aid to bar exam preparation and the first months of law practice, finding it to be astonishingly proficient at identifying legal issues, recommending tactical responses, and showing how to build relationships of trust with clients. It’s not perfect — it makes small errors and omissions that require an experienced lawyer’s review — but it’s still pretty mind-blowingly amazing that a free online technology can do any of this stuff at all. And as is always the case with Gen AI, it’s only going to get better.

In terms of administrative support, Mark Haddad of Thomson Reuters explains in Attorney At Work how AI-driven chatbots and CRM systems can handle a sole practitioner’s initial client queries, schedule appointments and send reminders, while AI can also analyze the firm’s practice areas and create marketing campaigns and content. Earlier this month, Clio itself announced plans for “Clio Duo,” a built-in proprietary Gen AI that “will serve as a coach, intuitive collaborator, and expert consultant to legal professionals, deeply attuned to the intricate facets of running a law firm.”

GPT-4 Beats the Bar Exam — from lawschoolcafe.org by Deborah J. Merritt

In the first three posts in this series, I used a bar exam question as an example of the type of problem a new lawyer might confront in practice. I then explored how GPT-4 might help a new lawyer address that practice problem. In this post, I’ll work with another sample question that NCBE has released for the NextGen bar exam. On this question, GPT-4 beats the bar exam. In other words, a new lawyer using GPT-4 would obtain better answers than one who remembered material studied for the bar exam.

ABA TECHSHOW 2024 – A Preview from the Co-Chairs — from legaltalknetwork.com by Cynthia Thomas, Sofia Lingos, Sharon D. Nelson, and Jim Calloway

Also see: The ABA TECHSHOW 2024

When It Comes to Legal Innovation Everything is Connected — from artificiallawyer.com by Richard Tromans

Legal tech can sometimes feel like it’s the whole world. We get absorbed by the details of the technology and are sometimes blinded by big investment announcements, but without the rest of the legal innovation ecosystem around it then this sector-specific software is limited. What do I mean? Let me explain.

The Most Significant Updates In The Case Management Sphere — from abovethelaw.com by Jared Correia
Joshua Lenon of Clio and Christopher Lafferty of Caret talk over case management software’s role in today’s law firm operations.