So then, perhaps a logical place to begin a discussion of AI and the law is with a brief appraisal of what AI is, and what it is not. It is not a means by which the responsibility of legal decision making is turned over to an unchecked algorithm. It is a powerful tool with which skilful lawyers can enhance and augment their own capabilities, driving efficiency, and thus, a competitive edge.

Artificial Intelligence’ is the general term given to the programming of computers to ‘think’, learn and act in ways that mimic some aspects of human intelligence. AI and its sub-discipline machine learning (ML) are changing legal research for the better -- removing the need to expend scarce resources on time-consuming and repetitive manual work by automating, accelerating, and enhancing those processes.

When used in a legal research context, AI can enable a discerning researcher to spot possible risks or opportunities at-a-glance without relying solely on prior knowledge, experience, or anecdotal feedback.

Intelligent legal solutions that combine trusted and comprehensive content with sophisticated AI and ML can deliver relevant content to you in context – and should be able to give you deep research results in one click. The AI solution shouldn’t replace the need for your deep expertise; instead, it frees up your time to focus on applying that expertise to strengthening your position.

What are the key benefits of artificial intelligence for lawyers or barristers?

1. A competitive edge

In a dynamic legal services market that depends on deep insights, speed and foresight; maintaining a competitive advantage is essential. AI handles the heavy lifting by surfacing relevant information, leaving the legal professional with the simple task of selecting the best results.

2. Adaptive learning capability

Machine learning algorithms come pre-trained on massive datasets, so they’re already familiar with thousands of cases, precedents, and pieces of legislation. They adapt as they work, learning what is most relevant and delivering increasingly similar results over time.

3. Research en masse

After setting up the system and training it to return the most relevant results, legal professionals can use AI to review hundreds of documents, or thousands of datasets at once, identifying information that relates directly to the researcher’s point of interest. This can mean reviewing thousands or even millions of documents in a matter of days.

4. Working seamlessly and efficiently

Beyond insight gains, AI can be used to fine-tune the workload of a legal professional. AI-powered predictive analytics can be used to anticipate maintenance and operational issues, pre-empt bottlenecks and help manage resources.

Future proofing your practice with Artificial Intelligence

With all of the above information in mind, AI should not be viewed as a complete answer to legal questions, but rather a supporting foundation that can drastically enhance the skills, capabilities and productivity of any lawyer or barrister. In the same way AI can’t be introduced as a replacement, it’s also important not to retrofit the technology onto a traditional framework or way of working.

While AI may not currently have the capabilities to reach a benchmark synonymous with the work of a lawyer, it can help with the heavy lifting needed to reach success. As with any new technology, it’ll likely require extensive trial and error to truly understand how AI can be used in the legal workplace and the best way to ensure this provides the intended outcomes and results.

How is LexisNexis reimagining traditional legal research?

Through LexisNexis’ ongoing work with hundreds of barristers and clerks, and lawyers and law firms, we have identified that clients typically want to improve flexibility, speed, scale, decision-making and personalisation. LexisNexis is developing intelligent solutions driven by AI and ML that are ready to support legal professionals to handle these tasks.

“LexisNexis is changing legal research for the better with Artificial Intelligence—removing or enhancing many of the time-consuming and repetitive manual processes involved in reviewing argument set out in written submissions and judgments” says Patrick Breen, General Manager Product & Content—LexisNexis Pacific.

A great example of this is the soon-to-be released case law research solution Lexis® Argument Intelligence, an efficiency solution powered by artificial intelligence that enhances your case law research by swiftly unearthing deep insights in relation to your matter.

“When reimagining legal processes, we see the best results when professionals identify which of these characteristics are central to their desired transformation and how they can use the AI to address that consideration primarily, before expanding to other areas of interest”, says Breen.

Savvy law firms and barristers’ clerks that nail this approach on a micro-level will have the opportunity to scale and then sustain the same results with expanded use cases. As AI use expands across the business, it’s also likely that new roles and talents will be required to manage the implementation and upkeep of technology. These professionals will likely emerge from IT decision making backgrounds, which may offset any potential employment reductions caused by the AI introduction.

While the introduction of AI/ML is nuanced and different on a firm-by-firm or case-by-case basis, the lesson is simple – those that use AI to replace the role of people will miss the full potential of AI or undermine the work of their team; and those that avoid the use of AI will be unable to maintain a competitive edge in the industry of tomorrow.

Reducing the legwork and guesswork involved with day-to-day tasks will free up valuable time for legal professionals to focus more on improving client service and driving business growth, all while providing the same exemplary level of service as if they were doing it all themselves.

For legal professionals who have entertained the idea of integrating AI/ML within their workflows, now is the time to do it.