Navigating Legal AI Tools: The Lawyer's Essential Guide

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way and is slowly transforming the legal industry. The 2024 MyCase Legal Industry Report revealed that 27% of lawyers have already embraced generative AI tools, and among firms yet to adopt this technology, 55% reported plans to implement it in the future. 

However, with so many options, it's hard to choose what lawyers really need. In this guide, we’ll examine AI legal tools—highlighting their benefits, ethical considerations, and specific applications for personal injury lawyers. 

Understanding Legal AI Tools

Legal AI tools are specialized software applications that assist legal professionals by automating and making various tasks more efficient—such as text that’s based on user inputs (known as prompts). The technology behind these tools relies on advanced machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP).

In a nutshell, ML enables AI systems to learn from historical data and improve their performance over time without explicit programming. In the legal context, ML can predict case outcomes, identify relevant precedents, and assess risks based on patterns found in past cases. 

On the other hand, NLP allows AI to understand, interpret, and generate human language. With this AI, lawyers can identify inconsistencies or missing clauses in legal documents, and organize documents into clusters based on their themes or topics for easier review.

Advantages of Implementing AI Tools in Law Firms

Nowadays, the use of AI tools in law firms is not uncommon. According to the 2024 MyCase Industry Report, lawyers who use generative AI said that they use it to help with the following tasks:

• Efficiency: AI automates tasks like document review and data entry—significantly reducing time spent on these processes. For instance, 38% of legal professionals used AI for summarizing documents.
• Productivity: By handling repetitive tasks, AI enables legal teams to manage larger caseloads effectively. Notably, 46% of lawyers used AI for research, allowing them to focus on complex legal matters.
• Accuracy: AI enhances precision in data processing, reducing human error. Approximately 42% of lawyers use AI to draft legal documents, ensuring consistency and minimizing oversight risks.
• Cost reduction: Automating processes minimizes the need for manual labor, leading to substantial operational savings. According to Bloomberg Law, 21% of legal professionals conduct due diligence with AI—reducing costs associated with extensive human review.

Key Applications of AI in the Legal Profession

The best thing about AI tools is that lawyers can use them for many different types of core tasks. 

Legal Research

AI tools that are designed for legal research allow lawyers to input natural language queries and receive curated results within seconds. For example, a tax attorney can quickly locate a ruling related to corporate tax deductions, saving hours of manual searching.

Contract Analysis

AI tools can analyze contracts, highlight key provisions, and even suggest edits to ensure compliance. For instance, corporate lawyers can use AI to flag unusual indemnity clauses in merger agreements, preventing costly oversights.

Litigation Support

AI tools can sift through large amounts of text to identify relevant information for a particular case, enabling faster and more accurate preparation.

Predictive Analytics

AI can analyze past case data to predict likely outcomes and provide data-driven insights. These tools help lawyers decide whether to settle a case or proceed to trial by assessing the likelihood of a favorable judgment, comparing similar fact patterns, and evaluating judicial trends.

Examples of AI Tools that Lawyers Use

Below is a list of the most used AI tools in the legal field. The first consists of AI designed specifically for lawyers, while the second focuses on AI that’s used for more common/broad tasks. 

Legal-Specific AI Tools

• LexisNexis+ AI: A go-to platform for legal research. This AI tool can help you find cases, analyze data, and uncover insights in just a few clicks.
• Westlaw Edge: This platform is known for its advanced AI features like case predictions. It also provides research tools that can give you an edge in building legal strategies.
• CASEpeer IQ: CASEpeer IQ is an AI-driven platform designed for personal injury law firms. It enhances productivity through automation and seamless integration into daily workflows. You can join the waitlist to have access as soon as the feature is released. 

Other Generative AI Tools

Lawyers also use the following generative AI tools designed for broader tasks. They all come with free plans making them perfect for lawyers that need occasional help.

• ChatGPT: This AI tool works great for drafting emails, brainstorming, or even quick research notes.
• Microsoft Copilot: This tool helps with creating legal documents, organizing spreadsheets, and making presentations.
• Claude AI: This feature can serve as a handy assistant for summarizing, drafting, or answering complex questions.
• Gemini: This is Google's AI assistant designed to enhance productivity and creativity. It offers natural, conversational interactions, allowing users to brainstorm ideas, plan events, and manage tasks efficiently.

While each of these tools is free, ChatGPT (for instance), has a knowledge cut-off (last updated April 2024) and it can only process 16-24 pages of text. 

The paid versions of these generative tools offer more flexibility, reasoning features, integrations, up-to-date data, and even search options. 

Ethical Considerations and Industry Guidance on AI in Legal Work

Although AI can save time, minimize errors, and boost productivity, there are ethical considerations and best practices that need to be implemented. 

The American Bar Association (ABA), on July 29, 2024, issued Formal Opinion 512, its first ethics guidance addressing the use of AI for lawyers—more specifically, generative AI (GAI) tools. Key points include:

• Competence (Rule 1.1): Lawyers must understand GAI tools’ benefits and risks to use them effectively.
• Confidentiality (Rule 1.6): Client information must remain secure, with informed consent required before using GAI.
• Communication (Rule 1.4): Lawyers should inform clients when GAI is used and how it impacts their case.
• Reasonable Fees (Rule 1.5): Fees for GAI-related work must reflect actual time spent but exclude time spent learning the tool.

Also if you are using AI tools to support your case, it’s better to be upfront and inform your clients. 

All in all, while AI in law can be an incredibly powerful feature, it should support, not replace human judgment.

How Personal Injury Lawyers Use Legal AI Tools

Personal injury lawyers can use AI tools to predict how their client’s case might pan out, predict settlement, and estimate demands that are based on empirical data from previous similar cases. AI can quickly analyze vast amounts of data regarding injury details and medical records.

Generative AI for lawyers can also benefit personal injury firms. Rather than consulting a 1000-page document, personal injury attorneys can ask their AI assistants to help them out. Or if they want to quickly generate hot topics for their personal injury blog.

Lastly, given that personal injury cases involve extensive correspondence and documentation, lawyers can use tools such as CASEpeer to manage client communications, organize case files, and track deadlines efficiently.

CASEpeer IQ: A Leading AI Tool for Personal Injury Lawyers

CASEpeer IQ is an upcoming AI feature exclusively for personal injury law firms. Its advanced features are designed to improve productivity, streamline operations, and enhance client satisfaction.

One standout feature is intelligent text editing, which uses AI to simplify document preparation. By identifying and correcting errors in legal documents, lawyers can save valuable time while ensuring accuracy. Additionally, CASEpeer IQ will provide a document summarization capability, which automatically condenses lengthy documents—allowing attorneys to quickly grasp key details without needing a full review. 

CASEpeer also excels in comprehensive case management, offering tools to track case milestones, organize critical data, and centralize case files. This level of organization helps personal injury firms stay on top of deadlines and deliver efficient service. Moreover, the platform supports automated client communication, ensuring clients receive timely updates throughout their cases.

Overall, CASEpeer empowers personal injury firms to operate more effectively—providing the tools needed to meet the unique demands of their practice. Enjoy the benefits of CASEpeer, by booking a demo today. Also, join the CASEpeer IQ waitlist to get initial access of this AI feature as soon as it’s released.