Legal AI Tools

Legal AI is the use of artificial intelligence to enhance productivity in a law firm. Lawyers use AI in various ways to enhance their efficiency, improve accuracy, and deliver better service to their clients. Most notably, AI allows lawyers to dedicate more time to performing meaningful, impactful work as it automates the most redundant tasks in the legal profession.

Getting into legal AI tools for the first time can seem daunting, but it opens the possibility to an entirely new world. Once you start using legal AI, it will be hard to imagine returning to your old way of working. 

The Emergence of Legal AI
The rise of AI was only discussed widely after OpenAI launched ChatGPT to the public on November 30, 2022. In the last year and a half, it has taken the entire globe by storm. 

Controversies, anxiety, and questions have surrounded the AI, which uses machine learning to generate responses to users’ queries. An AI lawyer app works differently — these are software specifically built and trained on legal language and practices to provide assistance to legal professionals. 

Often known as AI legal assistants, these tools use machine learning and sometimes natural language processing (NLP) to streamline many legal processes, such as research and contract review, and even marketing and client communications. 

What was once considered to be a possibility is now a reality — AI is here, and it is going to be as relevant to modern legal practice as the computer and internet. 

Legal AI Tools: Definitions and Capabilities 
Is there an AI for legal questions? You can ask ChatGPT legal questions, but it isn’t trained to be an AI for lawyers. This is why it can often deliver results that are either vague, inaccurate, or totally false (a “hallucination” in AI terms). This may have led you to wonder, “Is there a legal AI?” Yes!

In fact, there are many types of legal AI tools that help lawyers perform their jobs better. These can be related to case management (Clio), predictive analytics (Lex Machina), writing (Latch), or client communication (Case Status).

To really understand what legal AI can do, it’s helpful to overview the technology behind it.

‍Machine Learning
‍In artificial intelligence, machine learning is the process of using human beings to train data inputs that an AI will use to make its decisions. When an AI is trained by humans, it can make more accurate conclusions by analyzing trends and drawing conclusions from large quantities of data. 

‍Natural Language Processing (NLP)
‍NLP is a subfield of artificial intelligence that helps computer programs communicate with human beings. Instead of speaking in binary (computer language composed of 0s and 1s), natural language is the actual words we type or speak when engaging with an AI.

NLP AIs can read, interpret, and generate content in a desired input or output language. For example, if you want the AI to read a document in Spanish and translate it to English, it can do so without a struggle.

Likewise, NLP helps lawyers by offering data and contract analyses, document writing and management, e-discovery, and legal research. 

Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
A common question curious lawyers ask is, “Is there a free AI I can use”? ChatGPT has a free version, and Google Gemini is also free to use. But when it comes to legal AI that has been specifically designed and trained to perform legal duties, there is a cost. Most use a membership-based program, though some do offer a free trial.

Because many legal AI tools have a subscription fee, you can try them risk-free for a month and just cancel your membership if you’re unhappy with the results. Likewise, many legal tools with AI also allow you to scale your subscription as your needs evolve.

Thanks to various pricing models, legal AI software is accessible to both small and large firms, including solo practices that are just beginning their legal journey. 

Legal AI in Action: Functions and Applications
‍Can AI do legal research? Legal AI research tools are able to perform complex, comprehensive analyses of legal cases and statutes in minutes. What would usually take a lawyer hours, if not days, to do can not be managed in just a fraction of that thanks to the power of AI.

Legal AI research has been trained to work at the postgraduate level, ensuring that it can access relevant information and summarize findings in the most effective way possible. Leading AI research tools for lawyers like ROSS Intelligence and Casetext use machine learning to retrieve and deliver results based on your search queries.

‍Can AI write legal contracts? Contracts still need to be reviewed and finalized by a lawyer, but you are no longer forced to write the entire document yourself or spend hours finding a template you can edit. Legal writing softwares that uses AI can generate contracts with information you provide. This allows you to simply review, edit, and approve of the document and get it to your client faster. 

AI Assistance in Legal Matters 
One of the most commonly searched questions made by lawyers is, “Is there an AI that helps with legal matters?” Recognizing the value of artificial intelligence, it’s natural to wonder if any AI have been specifically designed to support your practice. Standard generative AI is not capable of performing legal research to the extent of a legal AI tool; it cannot offer support with document management, scheduling, billing, or case management. You need a custom-built tool that has been designed for law firms, and in some cases, specific areas of practice.

From case analysis to contract review, there are many types of AI that help with legal matters. There are also apps that make legal matters easier for clients, like Case Status. Case Status is an AI lawyer app that helps clients access information whenever they need it. With Case Status, firms can reduce inbound calls and email by 50%. 

Impact of AI on the Legal Profession 
The legal profession benefits greatly from AI as lawyers can enjoy faster, more accurate work with a reduced margin of error. At the same time, firms can utilize the talents of staff better, reduce burnout, and increase productivity across the board. 

Efficiency and Productivity 
With new legal research tools being able to conduct hours of legal research in minutes, law firms will experience unprecedented efficiency in the coming years. As time goes on, legal AI tools will only become more capable. This means that lawyers will save more time than ever, optimizing their businesses and dedicating more time to their clients than ever. 

Although you already have your day revolving around cases, the truth is many lawyers find themselves spending far more time on their tasks than the people they’re serving. AI allows you to accelerate, automate, and streamline workflows, giving you the time to invest in building relationships, offering legal advice, and providing counsel. 

The Future Role of Lawyers 
The question is inevitable — Will AI eventually replace lawyers? Unlikely. Instead, there will be a harmonious collaboration between legal professionals and artificial intelligence. Because they can work more efficiently and accurately, lawyers can do better work that enhances the justice system. 

While some clients may be able to access information through an AI, they still cannot perform many legal tasks on their own. A lawyer is required in many cases, and desperately needed in others. For example, generative AI can teach someone about laws and statutes, but it cannot effectively teach someone how to be their own defense in a court of law. Only a lawyer knows how to develop a comprehensive strategy to reach a desired outcome.

Lawyers will ultimately need to adapt to AI trends if they want to stay current and keep business flowing. The more firms that adapt artificial intelligence, the more clients will come to expect faster results and greater engagement. This is really a good thing for the legal profession. AI could be the answer to all the challenges that lawyers have had trying to juggle the demands of their practice with the desire to better serve their clients. 

Legal AI and Case Status Management 
Thanks to modern technology, case status management has become an automated process. With Case Status, individual timelines are generated to help guide lawyers and their clients step by step. Thanks to in-app updates, clients have a greater understanding of what is occurring behind the scenes, and they’re less likely to constantly call in or email and wonder what the next steps are.

Instead of waiting for phone calls and growing frustrated, clients can feel confident that their lawyer is working for them. The app offers real-time messaging, translation services, automation, marketing, and more. 

The latest addition to Case Status — CaseyAI — will generate potential responses to clients to make communication more efficient for both parties.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations 
While we can’t understate the benefits of AI in law, we also have to be mindful of concerns surrounding its use. Primarily, we need to ensure that lawyers use AI ethnically, continue to conduct due diligence, and that they are only using tools that ensure their clients’ data privacy and confidentiality. 

Laws around AI are still in the works, which means that many lawyers feel as though they are operating in a moral gray area as they use these tools. The good news is that when you use the best AI lawyer tool, you can know that it has been developed with legal practice in mind, so it’s designed to support you and your clients’ safety. 

In truth, lawyers are currently the ones responsible for protecting their clients’ data. If you use an AI tool, reach out to the developer, and ask them what measures they take to protect client data. Ensure that you are not violating any laws by having client information visible on a platform or to any third-party. 

Due diligence now includes performing careful research when choosing the best tools for lawyers that use AI. It is important to establish clear guidelines and standards for your firm, so you are always conducting yourself in the most ethical and professional manner.


With so many potential applications in the legal field, AI is a phenomenal technology that can transform businesses and lives. Clients will have greater access to legal services, and lawyers will be able to expand their businesses without facing burnout. The goal of AI is not to replace lawyers but make their jobs easier, and the best AI for lawyers strengthens the lawyer-client relationship. 

If you’d like to learn more about Case Status and CaseyAI, click here to discover the difference our mobile client portal makes in firms.