legal technologies

“Transforming Legal Landscape: How AI is Becoming The Ultimate Sidekick for Lawyers” [aithority.com] + other legaltech-related items

On 09/19/2023, in innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, strategy, tools, trends, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Transforming Legal Landscape: How AI is Becoming The Ultimate Sidekick for Lawyers — from aithority.com

A survey by the American Bar Association found that 47% of lawyers believed that AI-powered chatbots could be a valuable resource for individuals seeking legal advice.

AI is more than just a buzzword—it has the power to automate tasks, analyze massive amounts of data, and provide valuable insights, revolutionizing the way law practices operate. In this blog, we’ll explore the top advantages and disadvantages of using AI in law practices, backed up by real-world examples that showcase its impact.

The Evolution of Legal Tech: Implications and Innovations — from einnews.com by Policy2050.com
A Policy2050.com analysis encapsulates lawyers’ perspectives on digital documents, Legal Tech software, Big Tech’s influence, and the promises and perils of AI.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA, September 10, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Tech-focused research and strategy firm Policy2050.com has released a new whitepaper titled “The Virtual Verdict: Evolution of Legal Tech in 2023” in its open-access Quick Insights category.

A vast global population remains underserved in terms of civil legal needs. Legal Tech could bridge this gap, making law firms more efficient and legal services more accessible. But might AI be something of a Pandora’s box, especially given the complexities of justice?

Legal Tech Meets Recruitment: Navigating Tomorrow’s Legal Landscape — from abovethelaw.com by haistack.ai
Discover how the synergy of legal tech and recruitment expertise is shaping the future of legal operations, with insights from Lateral Link and haistack.ai.

Here’s where automation stands as a beacon. The days of tedious document reviews and prolonged recruitment processes are being overshadowed by platforms like haistack.ai. Such tools aren’t mere conveniences; they signify a strategic pivot in legal practices, intertwining data analytics and deep learning to yield unprecedented outcomes.

Legal Tech Artificial Intelligence Market with New Technology Estimate to 2031 — from benzinga.com by The Express Wire

In this report analysis, we thoroughly examine the Legal Tech Artificial Intelligence Market by exploring it into different segments, including size, share, and end-users etc. Furthermore, we present forecasts covering the period from 2023 to 2031. Additionally, we provide insights into the current status of the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the upcoming period, and we shine a spotlight on the top players in the industry.

Generative A.I. + Law – Background, Applications and Use Cases Including GPT-4 Passes the Bar Exam – Speaker Deck — from speakerdeck.com by Professor Daniel Martin Katz

Also relevant/see:

AI-Powered Virtual Legal Assistants Transform Client Services — from abovethelaw.com by Olga V. Mack
They can respond more succinctly than ever to answer client questions, triage incoming requests, provide details, and trigger automated workflows that ensure lawyers handle legal issues efficiently and effectively.

Artificial Intelligence in Law: How AI Can Reshape the Legal Industry — from jdsupra.com

“Nearly Half of Legal Professionals and Consumers Believe Generative AI Will Transform Law Practice” + other items re: AI within the legal realm

On 09/02/2023, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, changing business models, emerging technologies, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, by Daniel Christian

Nearly Half of Legal Professionals and Consumers Believe Generative AI Will Transform Law Practice, LexisNexis Survey Finds — from lawnext.com

A new international survey of lawyers, law students and consumers finds that nearly half believe generative AI will have a significant or transformative impact on the practice of law.

Conducted by LexisNexis and released this morning at ILTACON, the annual conference of the International Legal Technology Association, the survey polled 7,950 lawyers, law students and consumers in the U.S., U.K., Canada and France about their overall awareness of generative AI and their perspectives on its potential impact on the practice of law.

Also relevant/see:

Thomson Reuters Releases Report on Impact of AI of Future of Legal Professionals. — from deweybstrategic.com by Jean O’Grady

Thomson Reuters has released its Future of Professionals Report. The research was conducted during the months of May and June 2023 via an online survey. More than 1,200 professionals from the legal, tax and accounting, and risk professions employed by corporations, firms, and government agencies completed the survey.

Art generated by AI can’t be copyrighted, DC court says — from abajournal.com by Amanda Robert

Art created by artificial intelligence cannot receive copyright protection under U.S. law, a federal judge ruled last week in a case that could influence the outcomes of future disputes over authorship and intellectual property.

Unsurprising move by the ABA. Just a reminder, the legal market is already embracing innovation whether the ABA, or lawyers, participate or not. https://t.co/MJNgqNNXVB

— Timothy B. Corcoran (@tcorcoran) August 25, 2023

***
From DSC:
Having come from various other areas of higher education back in 2017, I was *amazed* to see *how far behind* legal education was from the rest of higher ed. And this is directly tied to what the American Bar Association allows (or doesn’t allow). The ABA has done a terrible job of helping Americans deal with today’s pace of change.

How are law professors using AI in their classrooms? [Linna]

On 08/22/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, experimentation, faculty, law schools, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, technology (general), by Daniel Christian

How are law professors using AI in their classrooms?
Great to be featured in this @2CivilityOrg article.
Thank you, @ErikaHarold!#AI4Law @NorthwesternU @NorthwesternLaw @NorthwesternEng https://t.co/oDdI5k9e3Q

— Daniel W. Linna Jr. (@DanLinna) August 22, 2023

Speaking of technology within the legal world, also relevant/see:

How in-house legal professionals can embrace technology — from legaldive.com by Lyle Moran
Colin Levy says generative AI tools, as well as well-known legacy products, can help lawyers and other legal department staff enhance their work.

“Leading your law firm into the Gen AI Era” [Furlong] + other legaltech-related items

On 08/17/2023, in 21st century, business, Canada, corporate / business world, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, strategy, UK, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Legal Innovators Assemble! Great Speakers for London in November — from artificiallawyer.com

The Legal Innovators UK conference will take place on 8 + 9 November, and we are already assembling a fantastic group of speakers from across the legal innovation ecosystem.

The two-day event comes at a time of potentially massive change for the legal market and we will be bringing you engaging panels and presentations where leading experts really dig into the issues of the day, from generative AI, to the evolution of ALSPs, to law firm innovation teams in this new era for legal tech, to how empowered legal ops groups and pioneering GCs are taking inhouse teams in new directions.

Virtual law firm Scale absorbs Texas IP firm in first acquisition — from reuters.com by Sara Merken

Aug 1 (Reuters) – Virtual law firm Scale said [on 8/1/23] that it has brought on small Texas intellectual property firm Creedon in the first of what it hopes may be a series of acquisitions.

James Creedon and two other attorneys from his firm have joined Scale, a Silicon Valley-founded law firm where lawyers work entirely remotely.

Scale, which debuted in 2020, is among so-called “distributed” or virtual firms that use technology to operate without physical offices and embrace a non-traditional law firm business model.

The lawyers are leaning into AI — from alexofftherecord.com by Alex Su
Despite all the gloom and doom, corporate legal and law firms are both embracing generative AI much more quickly than previous technologies

When I first heard law firms announcing that they were adopting AI, I was skeptical. Anyone can announce a partnership or selection/piloting of an AI vendor. It’s good PR, and doesn’t mean that the firm has truly embraced AI. But when they create their own GPT-powered tool—that feels different. Setting aside whether it’s a good idea to build your own vs. buy, it certainly feels like a real investment, especially since the firms are dedicating significant internal resources to it.

Today I’ll discuss why generative AI is diffusing across law firms much more quickly than expected.

Leading your law firm into the Gen AI Era — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
Lawyers are embracing its promise. Clients want to reap its rewards. Here are three ways your firm can respond to the immense disruption and extraordinary opportunity of Generative AI.

Move fast to implement project and client pricing.
Prepare to hire fewer associates and to rethink partnership.
Establish a fresh approach to developing future law firm leaders.

…
Above resource via BrainyActs — who mentioned that the QR code takes you to this survey. Just 3 simple questions.

Q1: Agree/Disagree: Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t replace lawyers anytime soon. Lawyers who use AI will replace lawyers who do not use AI.

Q2: Agree/Disagree: Non-lawyers should be allowed to have an ownership interest in a law firm.

Q3 Agree/Disagree: Trained non-lawyers should be allowed to advocate for parties in lower courts.

Generative AI In The Law: Where Could This All Be Headed? — from abovethelaw.com
Findings from a new Wolters Kluwer / Above the Law survey.

To get a sense of what the legal industry predicts, Above the Law and Wolters Kluwer fielded a survey of 275 professionals from March to mid-April 2023. We asked about AI’s potential effects in varied areas of the legal industry: Will it differentiate successful firms? Which practice areas could be affected the most? Could even high-level work be transformed?

Citing ‘political challenges’ within the ABA, its Center for Innovation cancelled an op-ed advocating for regulatory reform. [Ambrogi & Co.]

On 08/05/2023, in innovation, law schools, leadership, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, by Daniel Christian

Citing ‘political challenges’ within the ABA, its Center for Innovation cancelled an op-ed advocating for regulatory reform. I have the op-ed and full details of what happened. This comes as the ABA annual meeting convenes in Denver. @ABAesq #ABAAnnual https://t.co/xLFtTUIbqj pic.twitter.com/y1tqAaMvMj

— Bob Ambrogi (@bobambrogi) August 3, 2023

Also relevant/see:

Chase Hertel

@ABAesq is supposed to be the great facilitator of debate and discourse to steer the profession. To create an environment that facilitates the censorship of varying opinions is the opposite of what the organization is charged with by its members.

I was once part of the Center’s staff. I know many current ABA staff members personally. This is a situation that forces these servants of the profession to defend their existence and livelihoods because they are encouraging debate. I will defend my friends. Try me.

Kelli Proia

This is why I won’t join @ABAesq

. A Center for Innovation that can’t honestly discuss innovation in a profession that desperately needs it. Disgusting. And the truth is innovation is good for attys. Protecting a 120yo biz model is not good for lawyers or the public.

Jordan Furlong

This is equal parts disappointing and infuriating. The ABA is cutting the legs out from under its one truly forward-looking, people-focussed initiative. It’s a shameful sellout to the rising protectionist wave in the legal profession, and history will judge it accordingly.

Damien Riehl (@damienriehl)

If “Self-Regulation” has any meaning, the self-regulatory body should permit robust dialogue.

Dialogue ? Improvements

Censorship ? Moribund Stasis

@ABAesq
, please permit discussion about how technology/regulation could improve the public interest.

The Era of the Legal Technologist Has Arrived [jdsupra.com]

On 08/05/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, career development, change, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, technology (general), workplace, by Daniel Christian

Antitrust and Global Investigations: The Era of the Legal Technologist Has Arrived — from jdsupra.com

The marriage of technology expertise with the license to practice law is in high demand and essential to the efficient handling of large-scale and complex antitrust and white-collar investigations and litigation. This is no longer a discretionary skill set designed to benefit those who respond to ESI requests, but rather a necessary proficiency needed to navigate the eDiscovery landscape.

“Disconnect grows between law firm service and client expectation” [Hill] + other legaltech-related items

On 07/29/2023, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, entrepreneurship, expectations, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Disconnect grows between law firm service and client expectation, survey finds — from legaltechnology.com by Caroline Hill

Over 90% of in-house counsel and three quarters of private practice lawyers said that the legal sector is slow to embrace data, technology and new delivery models – a significant increase on the 64% who felt the same way last year.

In terms of the disconnect, 96% of in-house counsel agreed with the statement that what law firms provide is out of kilter with what clients expect. The majority (78%) of private practice lawyers also largely agreed.

ndaOK Unleashes Next-Level Efficiency in Legal Tech with GPT-4 Powered NDA Review — from legaldive.com by Christina Pennell
AI-driven legal tool promises to reduce NDA review times by over 90%

AUSTIN, Tex. — ndaOK, an innovator in AI-powered legal technology, today announces the launch of its next-generation non-disclosure agreement (NDA) review system. This advanced solution leverages OpenAI’s GPT-4 large multimodal model, a first among legal technology companies, offering unprecedented performance and efficiency in reviewing NDAs.

Capitalizing on the computational power and versatility of GPT-4, ndaOK accurately reviews and edits documents based on a user’s pre-determined requirements without the need for human assistance or input. This unique capability makes ndaOK faster and easier to deploy than any other AI-based contract review solution.

And here are two relevant postings that I missed a while back:

ANALYSIS: Meet the Law Schools Leading the Way in Innovation — from news.bloomberglaw.com by Francis Boustany

As law firms, businesses, and their clients adapt to the new realities of the legal and business worlds, law schools must prepare students in new ways—beyond traditional law school curricula and teaching methods—to give students an experience and education that better prepares them for their post-graduation careers.

Bloomberg Law launched its inaugural Law School Innovation Program as a means of promoting, acknowledging, and connecting the law schools that are innovating in the legal education space and providing their students with new ways of learning the law.

In this reimagined version of law school, students are taught to have ‘an entrepreneur’s mind’ — from fastcompany.com by Grace Buono
The University of Richmond program asks students not only to think like lawyers, but as entrepreneurs.

The demand for good lawyers is nothing new and, each year, law schools churn out graduates equipped with virtually the same skills as decades of law students before them. But one school is trying to change that.

The University of Richmond’s Legal Business Design Hub has students focus on the strategy, design, and operations of legal services in addition to their regular coursework, applying what the program calls “an entrepreneur’s mind” to their studies.

“It’s time for a Legal Moonshot” [Furlong] + other legal tech related items

On 07/24/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, intelligent systems, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, strategy, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

It’s time for a Legal Moonshot — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
All the challenges facing the legal sector today are systemic and entrenched. To solve them, we have to make a radical commitment to accomplish what we once believed impossible.

Here are three Legal Moonshots that the legal profession could take the lead on.

Establish universal access to justice.
Someday, this will be reality. Everyone will know their basic legal rights and can easily exercise them. Legal remedies will be free or extremely low-cost. Courts will be integrated into communities with simple entry and guided assistance, delivering clear and swift justice. AI-driven online services will render business agreements and settle everyday disputes. Everyone will have a last will and testament. Nobody will have to represent themselves. Justice will be real. That is all possible, and lawyers can lead the way there. It’s our Holy Grail. Let’s make it actually happen.
Eliminate violence against women.
Root out public and private corruption.

The Tech Stack Law Firms and Legal Professionals Need to Succeed (Adriana Linares – LawTech Partners) — from tlpodcast.com with Adriana Linares

Adriana explains the differences between case management software, document management platforms, and practice management software. She also touches on the importance of document assembly software and how to maximize the use of data captured during the various stages of a legal matter. She closes out the discussion explaining why many in legal are missing out when they don’t use CRMs–Client and Customer Relationship Management platforms.

How To Use AI in Your Firm (with examples!) — a 1.5 hour webinar recording from clio.com; via The Brainyacts
You know your firm could benefit from AI—now, see how.

In this webinar recording you’ll learn about:

Practical use cases for AI in law firms—from legal research to practice area-specific prompts.
Popular AI tools and how to choose ones that work with your firm’s budget and goals.
The limitations, risks, and ethical considerations of AI for legal professionals.

Virtual Law Firms: Reinventing The Legal Profession With Technology — from forbes.com by Mohaimina Haque

Given these intrinsic advantages, it should come as no surprise that virtual law firms are on the rise. The shutdown and disruptions caused by Covid have provided a further impetus to this trend. For example, it would take an attorney the whole day to drive to the courthouse, park, wait for the judge to call their case, argue the matter, then drive back to the office. Now the same matter can be handled through Zoom and court filings can be filed online. However, after these measures were instituted, I’ve seen how the opposition to such virtual measures has eroded as the real savings in time and money to all parties concerned have become very clear.

Legal Soft Revolutionizes Legal Training with AI-Powered Platform — from globenewswire.com

LOS ANGELES, July 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Legal Soft, a pioneering company in legal technology, is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the development of training materials for law firms. Committed to advancing legal education and professional development, Legal Soft’s innovative AI-driven platform is transforming the training landscape for legal professionals.

AI Legal Case Analysis: The Next Frontier in Legal Technology — from dtgreviews.com

AI legal case analysis refers to the use of AI algorithms to analyze legal cases, identify patterns, predict outcomes, and provide insights that can aid in legal decision-making. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way lawyers approach case strategy, conduct legal research, and even interact with clients.

One of the most significant benefits of AI legal case analysis is its ability to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. Traditional legal research is a time-consuming process that involves sifting through hundreds, if not thousands, of cases to find relevant precedents. AI can automate this process, analyzing thousands of cases in a fraction of the time it would take a human. This not only saves time but also increases the accuracy of the research reducing the risk of human error.
…
Moreover, AI can identify patterns and trends in case law that might be overlooked human researchers. For instance, AI can analyze the decisions of a particular judge or court to determine how they typically rule on certain issues. This information can be invaluable in formulating a case strategy or predicting the outcome of a case.

From DSC:
I’m not sure how I feel about this yet…but I have to admit that I’m very tentative and a bit suspect at this point.

‘Future lawyers need to be versatile and willing to innovate’ [legalcheek.com] + other legaltech related items

On 07/22/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, tools, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

‘Future lawyers need to be versatile and willing to innovate’ — from legalcheek.com

Lawyers’ jobs will be different and new roles have and will continue to emerge, such as the legal technologist. I believe further momentum will come with the growth of future lawyers.

I would like to see AI support the people via perhaps a chatbot that can offer reliable and accurate guidance to support individuals and services to help mitigate the pain relating to basic but fundamental legal matters to fill this void. Issues such as homelessness, debt, asylum, slavery etc. would be examples of such areas to prioritise.

To Future-Proof Their Firms, Attorneys Must Embrace AI — from forbes.com by Daniel Farrar

Law firms that want to use AI-powered legal tech should first adopt the mindset that AI is there to supplement their attorneys’ roles, not replace those roles. They must come to view AI-driven legal tech as a means to complete their jobs more efficiently and better address their clients’ needs.

Generative AI and the future of the legal profession: LexisNexis UK report canvases in-house and law firm views — from legaltechnology.com by Caroline Hill

LexisNexis Legal & Professional (on 13 July) released a new report entitled “Generative AI and the future of the legal profession”, which highlights the at times surprising expectations of in-house counsel and law firms when it comes to generative AI adoption.

Forty nine percent of in-house counsel expect their law firms to be using generative AI in the next 12 months, including 11% who say they expect firms to be already using the technology. Only 8% didn’t want AI used on their work. In contrast, 24% of firms believe their clients would not want them to use AI.

The survey, conducted among 1,175 UK legal professionals from May to June 2023, finds 87% of legal professionals are aware of generative AI tools and of that group, 95% agree these tools will have an impact on the practice of law (38% said it will have a significant impact,11% said it will be transformative and 46% thought it would have “some impact”).

5 Considerations Before Starting With New Legal Tech — from jdsupra.com

Suddenly the most urgent in-house legal conversations centered on which new technology to install next. And while I’m glad to see more legal departments shift their mindsets, I still preach caution. Budgets are tight, change is difficult and selecting the right tool at the wrong moment can prove counterproductive.

So before starting the search for innovative or new legal tech, it’s always best to assess your readiness with a few quick criteria.

The Future of Law: Embracing AI in the Legal Profession [Kubasiak]

On 07/14/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), Canada, intelligent systems, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, productivity / tips and tricks, society, United States, by Daniel Christian

The Future of Law: Embracing AI in the Legal Profession — from ethicalailawinstitute.com by Trent Kubasiak

Excerpt:

Improving Access to Justice:
One significant advantage of AI in the legal profession is its potential to improve access to justice. The high costs associated with legal services have traditionally created barriers for individuals with limited financial means. However, AI-powered solutions can help bridge this gap by providing affordable and accessible legal information and guidance. Virtual legal assistants and chatbots can assist individuals with legal queries, empowering them to navigate legal processes more effectively and make informed decisions. By leveraging AI, the legal profession can become more inclusive and ensure that legal services are available to a broader segment of society.

Also relevant/see:

Law Unlimited: Welcome to the re-envisioned legal profession — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
Will Generative AI destroy law firms? Only if lawyers are too fixed in their ways to see the possibilities that lie beyond who we’ve always been and what we’ve always done.

Excerpt:

The immediate impact of Gen AI on legal services will be to introduce unprecedented efficiency to the production of countless legal documents and processes. For most of the last century, lawyers have personally performed this work, spending and billing hours or parts of hours to accomplish each task. Law firms have used this production method to provide on-the-job training for inexperienced lawyers and have leveraged those hours to generate profits for their partners. But LLMs can now do the same work in seconds, as effectively as lawyers can today and much better in the near future. This is, among other things, a very serious problem for law firms’ business models and talent development practices, not to mention a real challenge to lawyer education and training and potentially a revolution in access to justice.

The legal realm holds the second highest potential for automation; plus other legaltech-related items

On 07/06/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, future, game-changing environment, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Metaverse, tools, using teams, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Law Firms Are Recruiting More AI Experts as Clients Demand ‘More for Less’ — from bloomberg.com by Irina Anghel
Data scientists, software engineers among roles being sought | Legal services seen as vulnerable to ChatGPT-type software

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Chatbots, data scientists, software engineers. As clients demand more for less, law firms are hiring growing numbers of staff who’ve studied technology not tort law to try and stand out from their rivals.

Law firms are advertising for experts in artificial intelligence “more than ever before,” says Chris Tart-Roberts, head of the legal technology practice at Macfarlanes, describing a trend he says began about six months ago.

.

AI Will Threaten Law Firm Jobs, But Innovators Will Thrive — from law.com

Excerpts:

What You Need to Know

Law firm leaders and consultants are unsure of how AI use will ultimately impact the legal workforce.
Consults are advising law firms and attorneys alike to adapt to the use of generative AI, viewing this as an opportunity for attorneys to learn new skills and law firms to take a look at their business models.

Split between foreseeing job cuts and opportunities to introduce new skills and additional efficiencies into the office, firm leaders and consultants remain uncertain about the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal workforce.

However, one thing is certain: law firms and attorneys need to adapt and learn how to integrate this new technology in their business models, according to consultants.

AI Lawyer — A personal AI lawyer at your fingertips — from ailawyer.pro

From DSC:
I hope that we will see a lot more of this kind of thing!
I’m counting on it.
.

Revolutionize Your Legal Education with Law School AI — from law-school-ai.vercel.app
Your Ultimate Study Partner

Are you overwhelmed by countless cases, complex legal concepts, and endless readings? Law School AI is here to help. Our cutting-edge AI chatbot is designed to provide law students with an accessible, efficient, and engaging way to learn the law. Our chatbot simplifies complex legal topics, delivers personalized study guidance, and answers your questions in real-time – making your law school journey a whole lot easier.

Job title of the future: metaverse lawyer — from technologyreview.com by Amanda Smith
Madaline Zannes’s virtual offices come with breakout rooms, an art gallery… and a bar.
.

Excerpt:

Lot #651 on Somnium Space belongs to Zannes Law, a Toronto-based law firm. In this seven-level metaverse office, principal lawyer Madaline Zannes conducts private consultations with clients, meets people wandering in with legal questions, hosts conferences, and gives guest lectures. Zannes says that her metaverse office allows for a more immersive, imaginative client experience. She hired a custom metaverse builder to create the space from scratch—with breakout rooms, presentation stages, offices to rent, an art gallery, and a rooftop bar.

A Literal Generative AI Discussion: How AI Could Reshape Law — from geeklawblog.com by Greg Lambert

Excerpt:

Greg spoke with an AI guest named Justis for this episode. Justis, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, was able to have a natural conversation with Greg and provide insightful perspectives on the use of generative AI in the legal industry, specifically in law firms.

In the first part of their discussion, Justis gave an overview of the legal industry’s interest in and uncertainty around adopting generative AI. While many law firm leaders recognize its potential, some are unsure of how it fits into legal work or worry about risks. Justis pointed to examples of firms exploring AI and said letting lawyers experiment with the tools could help identify use cases.

Robots aren’t representing us in court but here are 7 legal tech startups transforming the legal system — from tech.eu by Cate Lawrence
Legal tech startups are stepping up to the bar, using tech such as AI, teleoperations, and apps to bring justice to more people than ever before. This increases efficiency, reduces delays, and lowers costs, expanding legal access.

Putting Humans First: Solving Real-Life Problems With Legal Innovation — from abovethelaw.com by Olga Mack
Placing the end-user at the heart of the process allows innovators to identify pain points and create solutions that directly address the unique needs and challenges individuals and businesses face.

Legaltech and other legal-related items

On 06/28/2023, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Canada, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, emerging technologies, innovation, law schools, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, mobile technologies, platforms, tools, trends, by Daniel Christian

Pilot projects using AI in legal world produce mixed results, but still promising: legal tech panel — from canadianlawyermag.com by Zena Olijnyk
Canadian Legal Tech Summit attendees hear of challenges, benefits of AI as ‘hype’ continues to grow

Excerpt:

A pilot project designed to test the potential of artificial intelligence tools at McCarthy Tétrault LLP showed that certain types of applications for the legal profession seemed to work better than others, panellists told attendees to the recent Canadian Lawyer Legal Tech Summit.

“I would say that the results were mixed,” David Cohen, senior director of client service delivery for the firm. During the panel, moderated by University of Calgary assistant professor Gideon Christian, Cohen spoke about a pilot of about 40 lawyers from different practices at the firm who used an AI platform with only public data.

The group [testing the platform] said it needs to get better before we start using this for research,” he said. However, he said, when it came to tasks like generating documents, reviewing 100-page cases “and summarizing and analyzing them,” the AI platforms did much better.

What are the top legal technology trends in 2023? — from legalitprofessionals.com

Excerpt:

To help with this, our Client Success Team have summarised the eight key legal technology trends in the market, as well as the themes discussed at recent legal technology events and conferences including the British Legal Technology Forum and iManage ConnectLive Virtual 2023, both of which we were proud to sponsor.

On a somewhat related note, also see:

Designing the Law Office of the Future — from workdesign.com by Deborah Nemeth
Deborah Nemeth of SmithGroup shares how inspiration from higher education and hospitality can help inform the next evolution of the law office.

The Rumors Were True: Thomson Reuters Acquires Casetext for $650M Cash [Ambrogi]

On 06/27/2023, in Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, law schools, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Microsoft, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

The Rumors Were True: Thomson Reuters Acquires Casetext for $650M Cash — from lawnext.com by Bob Ambrogi

Excerpt:

“The proposed transaction will complement Thomson Reuters existing AI roadmap and builds on its recent initiatives, including a commitment to invest more than $100 million annually on AI capabilities, the development of new generative AI experiences across its product suite, as well as a new plugin with Microsoft and Microsoft 365 Copilot for legal professionals,” TR’s announcement said.

From DSC:
I post this to show how AI continues to make inroads into the legal realm — and how serious vendors are about it. I believe AI-enabled applications will eventually increase access to justice for the citizens of the United States of America.

Below is an addendum on 6/28/23 that further illustrates how serious vendors are about AI:

Databricks picks up MosaicML, an OpenAI competitor, for $1.3B — from techcrunch.com by Ingrid Lunden

Excerpt:

Databricks announced it will pay $1.3 billion to acquire MosaicML, an open source startup with neural networks expertise that has built a platform for organizations to train large language models and deploy generative AI tools based on them.

Learning Ecosystems

“Transforming Legal Landscape: How AI is Becoming The Ultimate Sidekick for Lawyers” [aithority.com] + other legaltech-related items

“Leading your law firm into the Gen AI Era” [Furlong] + other legaltech-related items

Citing ‘political challenges’ within the ABA, its Center for Innovation cancelled an op-ed advocating for regulatory reform. [Ambrogi & Co.]

The Era of the Legal Technologist Has Arrived [jdsupra.com]

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