AI in Legal Work: Faster Review, Higher Stakes

Law is built on text, which makes it a natural fit for AI, and one where errors are expensive.

• Contract review: highlighting unusual clauses, missing terms and deviations from a standard.
• Due diligence: sorting and summarising large document sets.
• Legal research: finding relevant material faster (then verifying it).
• Drafting: first drafts of letters, policies and routine agreements.
• Discovery and e-disclosure: finding relevant documents in huge collections.
• Client intake: collecting facts and routing enquiries.

Lawyers have been sanctioned for filing documents containing AI-invented cases. Every citation must be checked in an authoritative source by a human.

• Use tools with appropriate confidentiality protections. Never paste privileged material into a consumer tool.
• Keep a qualified person accountable for every output.
• Record how AI was used, in line with your professional rules.
• Use AI to flag issues, not to make the final call.
• Check jurisdiction and date: law varies and changes.

AI can help you understand a contract in plain English and prepare questions for a solicitor. It is not a substitute for legal advice on anything important.

General information only, not legal advice.

AI speeds up reading and first drafts. Judgement, verification and accountability stay with the professional.