A Harvard Business School research study of tasks completed by knowledge workers at the Boston Consulting Group found that AI significantly increased performance and quality for every model specification, increasing speed by more than 25%, performance as rated by humans by more than 40%, and task completion by more than 12%. Further, it operated in a way that benefited non-knowledge workers the most, though all users benefitted from AI. 4
makes it particularly well-suited to knowledge work generally and legal work specifically. In a panel discussion at the NetDocuments 2023 Inspire user conference, Greg Siskind, Co-Founder of Siskind Susser Immigration Lawyers, described AI’s appeal: “What do lawyers do all day long? We research, we read, we digest information, and then we draft. AI can make our day-to-day work easier in a lot of respects because it can do a lot of those tasks.”
How to Prepare for AI
To capture the potential of AI, consider the following plan of action: • Educate lawyers and staff on AI capabilities and limitations: Provide training on basic AI concepts so they understand the technology’s potential and don’t have unrealistic fears or expectations. Internal policies that provide guidelines for using AI will help ensure it’s used responsibly and in line with the firm’s or department’s obligations to clients and stakeholders. • Identify suitable pilot projects: Look for legal processes that have clear workflows and data inputs as good candidates for initial AI experiments. Start small with proof of concept projects. Consider putting together an AI committee that is made up of both IT professionals and fee earners to capture use cases that will benefit multiple individuals in the firm. • Realize AI is a tool to augment lawyers, not replace them: Position AI as a tool to make lawyers more efficient and effective, to free up time to think more strategically and enhance outcomes — not as a way to reduce headcount.
Stress that AI will enhance, not replace, legal skills.
• Recognize and evaluate the ethics of AI uses: Develop guidelines for the ethical use of AI in legal work. Consider biases in training data and recognize that AI models are imperfect. • Find the right AI partners: Identify legal AI vendors and consultants who understand the legal industry and can collaborate closely on integrating AI tools into workflows while protecting client confidentiality and data privacy. savings, error reduction, and employee and client satisfaction to quantify the impact and ROI of AI experiments. • Incorporate feedback: Get regular user feedback on AI tools and leverage it to refine workflows and improve adoption. Learn from challenges as well as successes. • Start measuring results: Collect metrics on key indicators like time
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