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How Legal Education Must Evolve In The Age Of AI [Mack & Borovick]

On 11/06/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, future, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, trends, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

How Legal Education Must Evolve In The Age Of AI: Insights From An In-House Legal Innovator — from by abovethelaw.com Olga Mack
Traditional legal education has remained largely unchanged for decades, focusing heavily on theoretical knowledge and case law analysis.

As we stand on the brink of a new era defined by artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven decision-making, the question arises: How should legal education adapt to prepare the next generation of lawyers for the challenges ahead?

Here are three unconventional, actionable insights from our conversation that highlight the need for a radical rethinking of legal education.

  1. Integrate AI Education Into Every Aspect Of Legal Training…
  2. Adopt A ‘Technology-Agnostic’ Approach To AI Training…
  3. Redefine Success In Legal Education To Include Technological Proficiency…
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“The end of courts?” [Furlong] + other legaltech-related items

On 10/29/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assessment, Canada, emerging technologies, experimentation, funding / grants, future, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, podcasting, UK, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing QuizBot an Innovative AI-Assisted Assessment in Legal Education  — from papers.ssrn.com by Sean A Harrington

Abstract

This Article explores an innovative approach to assessment in legal education: an AI-assisted quiz system implemented in an AI & the Practice of Law course. The system employs a Socratic method-inspired chatbot to engage students in substantive conversations about course materials, providing a novel method for evaluating student learning and engagement. The Article examines the structure and implementation of this system, including its grading methodology and rubric, and discusses its benefits and challenges. Key advantages of the AI-assisted quiz system include enhanced student engagement with course materials, practical experience in AI interaction for future legal practice, immediate feedback and assessment, and alignment with the Socratic method tradition in law schools. The system also presents challenges, particularly in ensuring fairness and consistency in AI-generated questions, maintaining academic integrity, and balancing AI assistance with human oversight in grading.

The Article further explores the pedagogical implications of this innovation, including a shift from memorization to conceptual understanding, the encouragement of critical thinking through AI interaction, and the preparation of students for AI-integrated legal practice. It also considers future directions for this technology, such as integration with other law school courses, potential for longitudinal assessment of student progress, and implications for bar exam preparation and continuing legal education. Ultimately, this Article argues that AI-assisted assessment systems can revolutionize legal education by providing more frequent, targeted, and effective evaluation of student learning. While challenges remain, the benefits of such systems align closely with the evolving needs of the legal profession. The Article concludes with a call for further research and broader implementation of AI-assisted assessment in law schools to fully understand its impact and potential in preparing the next generation of legal professionals for an AI-integrated legal landscape.

Keywords: Legal Education, Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Socratic Method, Chatbot, Law School Innovation, Educational Technology, Legal Pedagogy, AI-Assisted Learning, Legal Technology, Student Engagement, Formative Assessment, Critical Thinking, Legal Practice, Educational Assessment, Law School Curriculum, Bar Exam Preparation, Continuing Legal Education, Legal Ethics, Educational Analytics

How Legal Startup Genie AI Raises $17.8 Million with Just 13 Slides — from aisecret.us

Genie AI, a London-based legal tech startup, was founded in 2017 by Rafie Faruq and Nitish Mutha. The company has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the legal industry by leveraging artificial intelligence to automate and enhance legal document drafting and review processes. The recent funding round, led by Google Ventures and Khosla Ventures, marks a significant milestone in Genie AI’s growth trajectory.

In-house legal teams are adopting legal tech at lower rate than law firms: survey — from canadianlawyermag.com
The report suggests in-house teams face more barriers to integrating new tools

Law firms are adopting generative artificial intelligence tools at a higher rate than in-house legal departments, but both report similar levels of concerns about data security and ethical implications, according to a report on legal tech usage released Wednesday.

Legal tech company Appara surveyed 443 legal professionals in Canada across law firms and in-house legal departments over the summer, including lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, law clerks, conveyancers, and notaries.

Twenty-five percent of respondents who worked at law firms said they’ve already invested in generative AI tools, with 24 percent reporting they plan to invest within the following year. In contrast, only 15 percent of respondents who work in-house have invested in these tools, with 26 percent planning investments in the future.

The end of courts? — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
Civil justice systems aren’t serving the public interest. It’s time to break new ground and chart paths towards fast and fair dispute resolution that will meet people’s actual needs.

We need to start simple. System design can get extraordinarily complex very quickly, and complexity is our enemy at this stage. Tom O’Leary nicely inverted Deming’s axiom with a question of his own: “We want the system to work for [this group]. What would need to happen for that to be true?”

If we wanted civil justice systems to work for the ordinary people who enter them seeking solutions to their problems — as opposed to the professionals who administer and make a living off those systems — what would those systems look like? What would be their features? I can think of at least three:

  • Fair: …
  • Fast: …
  • Fine: …

100-Day Dispute Resolution: New Era ADR is Changing the Game (Rich Lee, CEO)

New Era ADR CEO Rich Lee makes a return appearance to Technically Legal to talk about the company’s cutting-edge platform revolutionizing dispute resolution. Rich first came on the podcast in 2021 right as the company launched. Rich discusses the company’s mission to provide a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional litigation and arbitration, the company’s growth and what he has learned from a few years in.

Key takeaways:

  • New Era ADR offers a unique platform for resolving disputes in under 100 days, significantly faster than traditional methods.
  • The platform leverages technology to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance accessibility for all parties involved.
  • New Era ADR boasts a diverse pool of experienced and qualified neutrals, ensuring fair and impartial resolutions.
  • The company’s commitment to innovation is evident in its use of data and technology to drive efficiency and transparency.
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AI should significantly help with Access to Justice [Sonday] + other AI/legaltech-related items

On 10/22/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, changing business models, emerging technologies, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, trends, UK, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

DC: I’m really hoping that a variety of AI-based tools, technologies, and services will significantly help with our Access to Justice (#A2J) issues here in America. So this article, per Kristen Sonday at Thomson Reuters — caught my eye.

***

AI for Legal Aid: How to empower clients in need — from thomsonreuters.com by Kristen Sonday
In this second part of this series, we look at how AI-driven technologies can empower those legal aid clients who may be most in need

It’s hard to overstate the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have on helping low-income individuals achieve better access to justice. And for those legal services organizations (LSOs) that serve on the front lines, too often without sufficient funding, staff, or technology, AI presents perhaps their best opportunity to close the justice gap. With the ability of AI-driven tools to streamline agency operations, minimize administrative work, more effectively reallocate talent, and allow LSOs to more effectively service clients, the implementation of these tools is essential.

Innovative LSOs leading the way

Already many innovative LSOs are taking the lead, utilizing new technology to complete tasks from complex analysis to AI-driven legal research. Here are two compelling examples of how AI is already helping LSOs empower low-income clients in need.

#A2J #justice #tools #vendors #society #legal #lawfirms #AI #legaltech #legalresearch

Criminal charges, even those that are eligible for simple, free expungement, can prevent someone from obtaining housing or employment. This is a simple barrier to overcome if only help is available.
…
AI offers the capacity to provide quick, accurate information to a vast audience, particularly to those in urgent need. AI can also help reduce the burden on our legal staff…

 

A legal tech executive explains how AI will fully change the way lawyers work — from legaldive.com by Justin Bachman
A senior executive with ContractPodAi discusses how legal AI poses economic benefits for in-house departments and disruption risks for law firm billing models.

Everything you thought you knew about being a lawyer is about to change.

Legal Dive spoke with Podinic about the transformative nature of AI, including the financial risks to lawyers’ billing models and how it will force general counsel and chief legal officers to consider how they’ll use the time AI is expected to free up for the lawyers on their teams when they no longer have to do administrative tasks and low-level work.

Legaltech will augment lawyers’ capabilities but not replace them, says GlobalData — from globaldata.com

  • Traditionally, law firms have been wary of adopting technologies that could compromise data privacy and legal accuracy; however, attitudes are changing
  • Despite concerns about technology replacing humans in the legal sector, legaltech is more likely to augment the legal profession than replace it entirely
  • Generative AI will accelerate digital transformation in the legal sector
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“How generative AI can help lawyers and law students hone their legal skills” + “Legal tech disruption: Doing it on purpose”

On 10/18/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, change, changing business models, disruption, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, podcasting, skills, tools, trends, UK, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Megan Ma — from legaltalknetwork.com by Dennis Kennedy, Tom Mighell, and Dr. Megan Ma

Episode Notes
As genAI continues to edge into all facets of our lives, Dr. Megan Ma has been exploring integrations for this technology in legal, but, more importantly, how it can help lawyers and law students hone their legal skills. Dennis and Tom talk with Dr. Ma about her work and career path and many of the latest developments in legal tech. They take a deep dive into a variety of burgeoning AI tools and trends, and Dr. Ma discusses how her interdisciplinary mindset has helped her develop a unique perspective on the possibilities for AI in the legal profession and beyond.

Legal tech disruption: Doing it on purpose — from localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Thomson Reuters looks at the role that a legal technology roadmap can play in improving the operations of in-house legal departments.

Disruption in the legal industry remains a powerful force – from the death of the billable hour to robot lawyers and generative AI. Leaders are facing weighty issues that demand long-term, visionary thinking and that will change the way legal professionals do their jobs.

With half of in-house legal departments increasing their use of legal technology tools, many GCs are taking the initiative to address continued, growing expectations from the business for systems that can make operations better. How can you prepare for a tech or process change so that people come along with you, rather than living in constant fire-fighting mode?

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How can judges handle deepfakes? [Linna]

On 10/14/2024, in A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, computer science, digital photography, digital video, emerging technologies, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, society, the downsides of how people use tech, by Daniel Christian

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How far should we go in allowing technology to aid our decision-making processes? [Schlegel] + other legaltech-related items

On 10/11/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, future, game-changing environment, Google, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Open AI, platforms, podcasting, by Daniel Christian

The Future of Umpiring in Baseball: Balancing Tradition and Technology — from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel
This article is not about baseball.

As we look to the future of umpiring in baseball, a balanced approach may offer the best solution. Rather than an all-or-nothing choice between human umpires and full automation, a hybrid system could potentially offer the benefits of both worlds. For instance, automated tracking systems could be used to assist human umpires, providing them with real-time data to inform their calls. This would maintain the human element and authority on the field while significantly enhancing accuracy and consistency.

Such a system would allow umpires to focus more on game management, player interactions, and the myriad other responsibilities that require human judgment and experience. It would preserve the traditional aspects of the umpire’s role that fans and players value, while leveraging technology to address concerns about accuracy and fairness.

Navigating the Intersection of Tradition and AI: The Future of Judicial Decision-Making — from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel

Introduction
Continuing with our baseball analogy, we now turn our focus to the courtroom.

The intersection of technology and the justice system is a complex and often contentious space, much like the debate over automated umpires in baseball. As Major League Baseball considers whether automated systems should replace the human element in calling balls and strikes, the legal world faces similar questions: How far should we go in allowing technology to aid our decision-making processes, and what is the right balance between innovation and the traditions that define the courtroom?

AI and the rise of the Niche Lawyer — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
A new legal market will create a new type of lawyer: Specialized, flexible, customized, fractional, home-based and online, exclusive, balanced and focused. This could be your future legal career.

Think of a new picture. A lawyer dressed in Professional Casual, or Business Comfortable, an outfit that looks sharp but feels relaxed. A lawyer inside their own apartment, in an extra bedroom, or in a shared workspace on a nearby bus route, taking an Uber to visit some clients and using Zoom to meet with others. A lawyer with a laptop and a tablet and a smartphone and no other capital expenditures. A lawyer whose overhead is only what’s literally over their head.

This lawyer starts work when they feel like it (maybe 7 am, maybe 10; maybe Monday, maybe not) and they stop working when they feel like it (maybe 4 pm, maybe 9). They have as many clients as they need, for whom they provide very specific, very personalized services. They provide some services that aren’t even “legal” to people who aren’t “clients” as we understand both terms. They have essential knowledge and skills that all lawyers share but unique knowledge and skills that hardly any others possess. They make as much money as they need in order to meet the rent and pay down their debts and afford a life with the people they love. They’re in complete charge of their career and their destiny, something they find terrifying and stressful and wonderful and fulfilling.

While We Were Distracted with the New ChatGPT Model, Google Quietly Dropped an AI Bombshell —  from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel

While the latest ChatGPT model is dominating tech headlines, I was unexpectedly blown away by Google’s recent release of a new NotebookLM feature: Audio Overview. This tool, which transforms written content into simulated conversations, caught me off guard with its capabilities. I uploaded some of my blog posts on AI and the justice system, and what it produced left me speechless. The AI generated podcast-like discussions felt remarkably authentic, complete with nuanced interpretations and even slight misunderstandings of my ideas. This mirrors real-life discussions perfectly – after all, how often do we hear our own thoughts expressed by others and think, “That’s not quite what I meant”?

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Here are a variety of legaltech related items — showing change in the legal industry

On 10/01/2024, in Access to Justice (A2J), change, Cost of legal services - including access, Google, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, podcasting, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, UK, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

RIP To Human First Pass Document Review? — from abovethelaw.com by Joe Patrice
Using actual humans to perform an initial review isn’t gone yet, but the days are numbered.

Lawyers are still using real, live people to take a first crack at document review, but much like the “I’m not dead yet” guy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it’s a job that will be stone dead soon. Because there are a lot of deeply human tasks that AI will struggle to replace, but getting through a first run of documents doesn’t look like one of them.

At last week’s Relativity Fest, the star of the show was obviously Relativity aiR for Review, which the company moved to general availability. In conjunction with the release, Relativity pointed to impressive results the product racked up during the limited availability period including Cimplifi reporting that the product cut review time in half and JND finding a 60 percent cut in costs.

Ernie The Attorney: A Tech Whisperer Shares His Legal Tech Secrets — from legaltalknetwork.com by Ernie Svenson
Guest Ernie “The Attorney” Svenson is dedicated to helping small and solo firms get the most out of today’s tech tools. Work smarter, not harder.

When it comes to efficiencies, automation plays a big role. In a solo or small firm, resources come at a premium. Learn to reduce wasted input through standardized, repeatable operating procedures and automation. (There are even tech products that help you create written standard processes learning from and organizing the work you’re already doing).

Imagine speaking into an app as you “brain dump” and having those thoughts come out organized and notated for later use. Imagine dictating legal work into an app and having AI organize your dictation, even correct it. You don’t need to type everything in today’s tech world. Maximize downtime.

It’s all about training yourself to think “automation first.” Even when a virtual assistant (VA) located in another country can fill gaps in your practice, learn your preferences, match your brand, and help you be your most efficient you without hiring a full-tie employee. Today’s most successful law firms are high-tech hubs. Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back.

Here’s the Video of Our Legaltech Week Panel Recorded Live Friday at RelativityFest in Chicago — from lawnext.com by Bob Ambrogi

Several of our regular Legaltech Week panelists were in Chicago for RelativityFest last week, so we took the opportunity to get together and broadcast our show live from the same room (instead of Zoom squares).

If you missed it Friday, here’s the video recording.

LexisNexis legal AI adoption report shows sharp increase in use of Gen AI — from legaltechnology.com

Today (24 September) LexisNexis has released a new report – Need for Speedier Legal Services sees AI Adoption Accelerate – which reveals a sharp increase in the number of lawyers using generative AI for legal work.

The survey of 800+ UK legal professionals at firms and in-house teams found 41% are currently using AI for work, up from 11% in July 2023. Lawyers with plans to use AI for legal work in the near future also jumped from 28% to 41%, while those with no plans to adopt AI dropped from 61% to 15%. The survey found that 39% of private practice lawyers now expect to adjust their billing practices due to AI, up from 18% in January 2024.

Robin AI’s James Clough: ‘Don’t Skate To Where The Puck Is’ — from artificiallawyer.com

‘What if legal review cost just $1? What if legal review was 1,000X cheaper than today?’ he muses.

And, one could argue we are getting there already – at least in theory. How much does it actually cost to run a genAI tool, that is hitting the accuracy levels you require, over a relatively mundane contract in order to find top-level information? If token costs drop massively in the years ahead and tech licence costs have been shared out across a major legal business….then what is the cost to the firm per document?

Of course, there is review and there is review. A very deep and thorough review, with lots of redlining, back and forth negotiation, and redrafting by top lawyers is another thing. But, a ‘quick once-over’? It feels like we are already at the ‘pennies on the dollar’ stage for that.

What Is Legal Tech Convergence + Why It Matters — from artificiallawyer.com

In some cases the companies on the convergence path are just getting started and only offer a few additional skills (so far), in other cases, large companies with diverse histories have almost the same multi-skill offering across many areas.

Here are some examples:

  • Callidus
  • vLex
  • Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis
  • BRYTER
  • Harvey
  • Leya
  • …and others
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Legal budgets will get an AI-inspired makeover in 2025: survey [Bachman]

On 09/17/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, corporate / business world, emerging technologies, innovation, intelligent systems, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, skills, by Daniel Christian

Legal budgets will get an AI-inspired makeover in 2025: survey — from legaldive.com by Justin Bachman
Nearly every general counsel is budgeting to add generative AI tools to their departments – and they’re all expecting to realize efficiencies by doing so.

Dive Brief:

  • Nearly all general counsel say their budgets are up slightly after wrestling with widespread cuts last year. And most of them, 61%, say they expect slightly larger budgets next year as well, an average of 5% more, according to the 2025 In-House Legal Budgeting Report from Axiom and Wakefield Research. Technology was ranked as the top in-house investment priority for both 2024 and 2025 for larger companies.
  • Legal managers predict their companies will boost investment on technology and real estate/facilities in 2025, while reducing outlays for human resources and mergers and acquisition activity, according to the survey. This mix of changing priorities might disrupt legal budgets.
  • Among the planned legal tech spending, the top three areas for investment are virtual legal assistants/AI-powered chatbots (35%); e-billing and spend-management software (31%); and contract management platforms (30%).
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“8 Legal Tech Trends Transforming Practice in 2024” [lawyer-monthly.com] + several other legaltech-related items

On 08/28/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Blockchain, business, data related items, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, research, surviving, trends, UK, United States, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

8 Legal Tech Trends Transforming Practice in 2024 — from lawyer-monthly.com

Thanks to rapid advances in technology, the entire scenario within the legal landscape is changing fast. Fast forward to 2024, and legal tech integration would be the lifeblood of any law firm or legal department if it wishes to stay within the competitive fray.

Innovations such as AI-driven tools for research to blockchain-enabled contracts are thus not only guideline highlights of legal work today. Understanding and embracing these trends will be vital to surviving and thriving in law as the revolution gains momentum and the sands of the world of legal practice continue to shift.

Below are the eight expected trends in legal tech defining the future legal practice.

Building your legal practice’s AI future: Understanding the actual technologies — from thomsonreuters.com by
The implementation of a successful AI strategy for a law firm depends not only on having the right people, but also understanding the tech and how to make it work for the firm

While we’re not delving deep here into how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs) work, we will talk generally about different categories of tech and emerging GenAI functionalities that are specific for legal.

Ex-Microsoft engineers raise $25M for legal tech startup that uses AI to help lawyers analyze data — from geekwire.com by Taylor Soper

Supio, a Seattle startup founded in 2021 by longtime friends and former Microsoft engineers, raised a $25 million Series A investment to supercharge its software platform designed to help lawyers quickly sort, search, and organize case-related data.
…
Supio focuses on cases related to personal injury and mass tort plaintiff law (when many plaintiffs file a claim). It specializes in organizing unstructured data and letting lawyers use a chatbot to pull relevant information.

“Most lawyers are data-rich and time-starved, but Supio automates time-sapping manual processes and empowers them to identify critical information to prove and expedite their cases,” Supio CEO and co-founder Jerry Zhou said in a statement.

ILTACON 2024: Large law firms are moving carefully but always forward with their GenAI strategy — from thomsonreuters.com by Zach Warren

NASHVILLE — As the world approaches the two-year mark since the original introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, law firms already have made in-roads into establishing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a part of their firms. Whether for document and correspondence drafting, summarization of meetings and contracts, legal research, or for back-office capabilities, firms have been playing around with a number of use cases to see where the technology may fit into the future.

Thomson Reuters acquires pre-revenue legal LLM developer Safe Sign Technologies – Here’s why — from legaltechnology.com by Caroline Hill

Thomson Reuters announced (on August 21) it has made the somewhat unusual acquisition of UK pre-revenue startup Safe Sign Technologies (SST), which is developing legal-specific large language models (LLMs) and as of just eight months ago was operating in stealth mode.
…
There isn’t an awful lot of public information available about the company but speaking to Legal IT Insider about the acquisition, Hron explained that SST is focused in part on deep learning research as it pertains to training large language models and specifically legal large language models. The company as yet has no customers and has been focusing exclusively on developing the technology and the models.

Supio brings generative AI to personal injury cases — from techcrunch.com by Kyle Wiggers

Legal work is incredibly labor- and time-intensive, requiring piecing together cases from vast amounts of evidence. That’s driving some firms to pilot AI to streamline certain steps; according to a 2023 survey by the American Bar Association, 35% of law firms now use AI tools in their practice.

OpenAI-backed Harvey is among the big winners so far in the burgeoning AI legal tech space, alongside startups such as Leya and Klarity. But there’s room for one more, says Jerry Zhou and Kyle Lam, the co-founders of an AI platform for personal injury law called Supio, which emerged from stealth Tuesday with a $25 million investment led by Sapphire Ventures.

Supio uses generative AI to automate bulk data collection and aggregation for legal teams. In addition to summarizing info, the platform can organize and identify files — and snippets within files — that might be useful in outlining, drafting and presenting a case, Zhou said.

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The future of legal services + other items re: legaltech

On 08/26/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), cost of getting a degree, Cost of legal services - including access, future, game-changing environment, ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, research, society, sociology, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

ILTACON 2024: Selling legal tech’s monorail — from abajournal.com by Nicole Black

The bottom line: The promise of GenAI for our profession is great, but all signs point to the realization of its potential being six months out or more. So the question remains: Will generative AI change the legal landscape, ushering in an era of frictionless, seamless legal work? Or have we reached the pinnacle of its development, left only with empty promises? I think it’s the former since there is so much potential, and many companies are investing significantly in AI development, but only time will tell.

From LegalZoom to AI-Powered Platforms: The Rise of Smart Legal Services — from tmcnet.com by Artem Vialykh

In today’s digital age, almost every industry is undergoing a transformation driven by technological innovation, and the legal field is no exception. Traditional legal services, often characterized by high fees, time-consuming processes, and complex paperwork, are increasingly being challenged by more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective alternatives.

LegalZoom, one of the pioneers in offering online legal services, revolutionized the way individuals and small businesses accessed legal assistance. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies, we are witnessing the rise of even more sophisticated platforms that are poised to reshape the legal landscape further.

The Rise of AI-Powered Legal Platforms
AI-powered legal platforms represent the next frontier in legal services. These platforms leverage the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to provide legal services that are not only more efficient but also more accurate and tailored to the needs of the user.

AI-powered platforms offer many advantages, with one of them being their ability to rapidly process and analyze large amounts of data quickly. This capability allows them to provide users with precise legal advice and document generation in a fraction of the time it would take a human attorney. For example, AI-driven platforms can review and analyze contracts, identify potential legal risks, and even suggest revisions, all in real-time. This level of automation significantly reduces the time and cost associated with traditional legal services.

AI, Market Dynamics, and the Future of Legal Services with Harbor’s Zena Applebaum — from geeklawblog.com by Greg Lambert

Zena talks about the integration of generative AI (Gen AI) into legal research tools, particularly at Thomson Reuters, where she previously worked. She emphasizes the challenges in managing expectations around AI’s capabilities while ensuring that the products deliver on their promises. The legal industry has high expectations for AI to simplify the time-consuming and complex nature of legal research. However, Applebaum highlights the need for balance, as legal research remains inherently challenging, and overpromising on AI’s potential could lead to dissatisfaction among users.

Zena shares her outlook on the future of the legal industry, particularly the growing sophistication of in-house legal departments and the increasing competition for legal talent. She predicts that as AI continues to enhance efficiency and drive changes in the industry, the demand for skilled legal professionals will rise. Law firms will need to adapt to these shifts by embracing new technologies and rethinking their strategies to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

Future of the Delivery of Legal Services — from americanbar.org
The legal profession is in the midst of unprecedented change. Learn what might be next for the industry and your bar.

What. Just. Happened? (Post-ILTACon Emails Week of 08-19-2024) — from geeklawblog.com by Greg Lambert

Here’s this week’s edition of What. Just. Happened? Remember, you can track these daily with the AI Lawyer Talking Tech podcast (Spotify or Apple) which covers legal tech news and summarizes stories.

From DSC:
And although this next one is not necessarily legaltech-related, I wanted to include it here anyway — as I’m always looking to reduce the costs of obtaining a degree.

Improve the Diversity of the Profession By Addressing the Costs of Becoming a Lawyer — from lssse.indiana.edu by Joan Howarth

Not surprisingly, then, research shows that economic assets are a significant factor in bar passage. And LSSSE research shows us the connections between the excessive expense of becoming a lawyer and the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in bar passage rate.

The racial and ethnic bar passage disparities are extreme. For example, the national ABA statistics for first time passers in 2023-24 show White candidates passing at 83%, compared to Black candidates (57%) with Asians and Hispanics in the middle (75% and 69%, respectively).

These disturbing figures are very related to the expense of becoming a lawyer.

Finally, though, after decades of stability — or stagnation — in attorney licensing, change is here. And some of the changes, such as the new pathway to licensure in Oregon based on supervised practice instead of a traditional bar exam, or the Nevada Plan in which most of the requirements can be satisfied during law school, should significantly decrease the costs of licensure and add flexibility for candidates with responsibilities beyond studying for a bar exam.  These reforms are long overdue.

Thomson Reuters acquires Safe Sign Technologies — from legaltechnology.com by Caroline Hill

Thomson Reuters today (21 August) announced it has acquired Safe Sign Technologies (SST), a UK-based startup that is developing legal-specific large language models (LLMs) and as of just eight months ago was operating in stealth mode.

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“Best Legal Tech 2024” [Theorem] + “Essential Types of Legal Cases Every Business Owner Should Know” [lawfuel.com]

On 08/25/2024, in law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Best Legal Tech 2024 — from ecosystem.theoremlegal.com

Nothing but the best enterprise legaltech.
Find the best software for anything and everything you want to accomplish, as decided by software buyers on the world’s largest and most trusted legal tech marketplace.

Theorem is proud to share our 2024 LEGAL TAM & Best LegalTech Awards List
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Essential Types of Legal Cases Every Business Owner Should Know — from lawfuel.com

Running a business requires more than just a sharp mind for strategy and a keen eye for market trends. Legal awareness is crucial for safeguarding your business against potential liabilities. In this article, we will explore the key legal cases every business owner should know, with a particular focus on premises liability and product liability cases.

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“As we enter the Age of Accessible Law” [Furlong] + other legaltech-related items

On 08/15/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Canada, emerging technologies, future, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

How Generative AI will change what lawyers do — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
As we enter the Age of Accessible Law, a wave of new demand is coming our way — but AI will meet most of the surge. What will be left for lawyers? Just the most valuable and irreplaceable role in law.

AI can already provide actionable professional advice; within the next ten years, if it takes that long, I believe it will offer acceptable legal advice. No one really wants “AI courts,” but soon enough, we’ll have AI-enabled mediation and arbitration, which will have a much greater impact on everyday dispute resolution.

I think it’s dangerous to assume that AI will never be able to do something that lawyers now do. “Never” is a very long time. And AI doesn’t need to replicate the complete arsenal of the most gifted lawyer out there. If a Legal AI can replicate 80% of what a middling lawyer can do, for 10% of the cost, in 1% of the time, that’s all the revolution you’ll need.

From DSC:
It is my sincere hope that AI will open up the floodgates to FAR great Access to Justice (A2J) in the future.

It’s the Battle of the AI Legal Assistants, As LexisNexis Unveils Its New Protégé and Thomson Reuters Rolls Out CoCounsel 2.0 — from lawnext.com by Bob Ambrogi

It’s not quite BattleBots, but competitors LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters both made significant announcements today involving the development of generative AI legal assistants within their products.

Thomson Reuters, which last year acquired the CoCounsel legal assistant originally developed by Casetext, and which later announced plans to deploy it throughout its product lines, today unveiled what it says is the “supercharged” CoCounsel 2.0.

Meanwhile, LexisNexis said today it is rolling out the commercial preview version of its Protégé Legal AI Assistant, which it describes as a “substantial leap forward in personalized generative AI that will transform legal work.” It is part of the launch of the third generation of Lexis+ AI, the AI-driven legal research platform the company launched last year.

Thomson Reuters Launches CoCounsel 2.0 — from abovethelaw.com by Joe Patrice
New release promises results three times faster than the last version.

It seems like just last year we were talking about CoCounsel 1.0, the generative AI product launched by Casetext and then swiftly acquired by Thomson Reuters. That’s because it was just last year. Since then, Thomson Reuters has worked to marry Casetext’s tool with TR’s treasure trove of data.

It’s not an easy task. A lot of the legal AI conversation glosses over how constructing these tools requires a radical confrontation with the lawyers’ mind. Why do attorneys do what they do every day? Are there seemingly “inefficient” steps that actually serve a purpose? Does an AI “answer” advance the workflow or hinder the research alchemy? As recently as April, Thomson Reuters was busy hyping the fruits of its efforts to get ahead of these challenges.

Though this next item is not necessarily related to legaltech, it’s still relevant to the legal realm:

A Law Degree Is No Sure Thing— from cew.georgetown.edu
Some Law School Graduates Earn Top Dollar, but Many Do Not

Summary
Is law school worth it? A Juris Doctor (JD) offers high median earnings and a substantial earnings boost relative to a bachelor’s degree in the humanities or social sciences—two of the more common fields of study that lawyers pursue as undergraduate students. However, graduates of most law schools carry substantial student loan debt, which dims the financial returns associated with a JD.

A Law Degree Is No Sure Thing: Some Law School Graduates Earn Top Dollar, but Many Do Not finds that the return on investment (ROI) in earnings and career outcomes varies widely across law schools. The median earnings net of debt payments are $72,000 four years after graduation for all law school graduates, but exceed $200,000 at seven law schools. By comparison, graduates of 33 law schools earn less than $55,000 net of debt payments four years after graduation.

From DSC:
A former boss’ husband was starting up a local public defender’s office in Michigan and needed to hire over two dozen people. The salaries were in the $40K’s she said. This surprised me greatly, as I thought all lawyers were bringing in the big bucks. This is not the case, clearly. Many lawyers do not make the big bucks, as this report shows:

…graduates of 33 law schools earn less than $55,000 net of debt payments four years after graduation.

.

Also relevant/see:

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Forget everything you think you know about law firms [Furlong]

On 07/26/2024, in 21st century, law schools, leadership, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Forget everything you think you know about law firms — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
Preface your strategic planning by explicitly rejecting all the accumulated conventions of the law firm model. The (legal) world has changed. Open up your strategic vistas. Prepare to start brand new.

Push aside the invisible guardrails of what’s been done before. Don’t take for granted any “normal” aspect — positive, negative, or neutral — of how your law firm looks and behaves, how it’s constituted, who it serves, who works there, how it creates value, how it competes, how it makes money. It’s all up for grabs.
…
But the real advantage now will belong to those strategic planners ready to go further and question all our assumptions about the law firm itself. You can’t conduct effective strategic planning or future-proofing for your firm unless you first shake yourself loose of every conventional “fact” about what law firms are, what they’re for, and how they operate. Those assumptions have become burdens. They will slow you down and compromise your strategy.

From DSC:
This advice seems appropriate for many businesses to do these days!

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AI Tools for Legal Work: Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and More [americanbar.org]

On 07/23/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, ideas, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

AI Tools for Legal Work: Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and More — from americanbar.org

Summary

  • Uncover four AI tools that can aid legal professionals, including Claude, Gemini, Copilot and ChatGPT.
  • Discover the capabilities of these tools and how their functionality can streamline law firm’s workflow, improving efficiency.
  • Learn how much these AI tools cost to incorporate into your tech stack, and determine if there are any security risks to be aware

Also relevant, see:

 

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The race to deploy GenAI in the legal sector [Nicol-Schwarz]

On 07/19/2024, in Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, changing business models, corporate / business world, emerging technologies, Europe, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, UK, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

The race to deploy GenAI in the legal sector — from sifted.eu by Kai Nicol-Schwarz
LegalFly’s €15m Series A is the latest in a string of raises for European GenAI legaltech startups

Speak to any lawyer and you’ll soon discover that the job is a far cry from the fevered excitement of a courtroom drama. Behind the scenes, there’s an endless amount of laborious and typically manual tasks like drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts and other legal documents that have to be done manually daily.

It was this realisation that led four product managers at dating app giant Tinder, frustrated by what they saw as a lack of AI adoption at the company, to jump ship and found Belgium-based LegalFly last year. The startup is building a generative AI copilot for lawyers which eventually, it says, will be able to automate entire workflows in the legal profession.

“We were looking at what GenAI was good at, which is synthesising data and generating content,” says founder and CEO Ruben Miessen. “What industry works like that? Law, and it does it all in a very manual way.”

“The legal industry is a global behemoth that’s seen minimal innovation since the advent of Microsoft Word in the 90s,” says Carina Namih, partner at Plural. “GenAI — especially with a human in the loop to keep accuracy high — is ideally suited to drafting, editing and negotiating legal documents.”

Legal Technology Company Relativity Announces OpenAI ChatGPT Integration — from lawfuel.com

CHICAGO– July 18 – Relativity, a global legal technology company, today announced it is integrating with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise Compliance API. The integration adds ChatGPT Enterprise as a Collect in RelativityOne data source, allowing users to seamlessly collect and process human-to-AI conversational data.

“The future around human and AI interaction is changing rapidly, calling for innovative legal data management solutions to include novel data sources, such as conversations with AI agents,” said Chris Brown, Chief Product Officer at Relativity. “In answering that call, we are committed to equipping our community with the tools they need to traverse the evolving future of human-to-AI conversational data and putting users in control of this new data landscape.”

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