(Jun 26) Ethics & Efficiency: Navigating AI Integration in Law Firms
Stay informed with the latest in legal tech! Discover AI's role in law, key regulatory updates, and industry trends from the iManage ConnectLive conference.
Welcome to your Law Tech briefing for Jun 26, covering what happened in legal tech recently.
Have less than a 1 min? Three takeaways from yesterday
- Embrace AI to Boost Productivity: The discussions at the iManage ConnectLive conference emphasized the practical application of AI tools like Copilot and Ask iManage to enhance workflow efficiency, demonstrating a shift from AI skepticism to its pragmatic adoption.
- Stay Updated on AI Competence Regulations: Ensure compliance with new ethics opinions from the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations that mandate lawyers' competence in using generative AI, stressing the importance of verifying AI outputs and maintaining transparency with clients.
- Leverage Strategic AI Partnerships and Tools: Follow the lead of firms like Ashurst and tech companies like Screens and Gavel, which are actively integrating customized AI solutions to improve client service and workflow efficiency. This highlights the industry's commitment to digital transformation and trust-building.
Executive Briefing
The legal industry is experiencing a significant shift towards integrating generative AI tools into practice, driven by advancing technology and emerging ethical guidelines. Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations have underscored this by issuing a crucial new ethics opinion, mandating lawyers to be proficient in using generative AI while ensuring verification, client communication, and consent (New Legal Ethics Opinion Cautions Lawyers: You ‘Must Be Proficient’ In the Use of Generative AI - LawSites). As AI becomes more embedded in legal work, maintaining transparency and professional judgment remains critical.
In a pioneering move, Orbital Witness has launched an insurance program for AI outputs in residential property transactions, a strategic partnership with First Title to bolster confidence in AI deployment within law firms (Orbital Witness to Offer GenAI Accuracy Insurance in Legal Tech World First - Artificial Lawyer). This initiative sets a precedent in the legal tech domain, potentially influencing wider adoption and standard-setting in the industry.
At the iManage ConnectLive conference, AI's transformative potential in knowledge work and data governance took center stage. Firms like Linklaters and Vinge demonstrated successful cloud transitions, showcasing AI tools like Copilot and Ask iManage that enhance productivity and efficacy in legal workflows partnered significantly.
In related developments, Emily Foges, former CEO of Luminance, has joined The Barrister Group as COO, focusing on expanding its barrister network and leveraging legal tech to drive efficiency (Luminance’s Ex-CEO, Emily Foges, Joins The Barrister Group as COO - Artificial Lawyer). This move signifies a broader trend of integrating tech-savvy leadership with private equity's role in evolving legal services.
Moreover, Ashurst has partnered significantly with Harvey to implement a generative AI solution across its global workforce, evidencing a strategic commitment to digital transformation aligned with its 2027 Strategy (Ashurst launches global Harvey partnership following firmwide trial - Legal IT Insider).
As legal tech company Screens steps forward with a 97.5% accuracy claim for its genAI tools, the industry is witnessing a drive towards higher transparency standards and fostering trust in AI applications (Screens Publicly Announces 97.5% GenAI Accuracy in Transparency Move - Artificial Lawyer).
In terms of automation, Gavel introduced a new feature utilizing AI to streamline PDF document-generation workflows, providing a practical tool to enhance operational efficiency in form-heavy legal areas (New Gavel Feature Uses AI to Convert PDFs into Automated Document-Generation Workflows - LawSites).
Globally, Brazil is at the cusp of implementing AI regulations to address biases, privacy concerns, and job displacement, reflecting a global trend towards responsible AI governance (Navigating Brazil’s proposed AI regulation in a global context - The Legal Technologist).
Notably, Relativity announced their AI-powered review solution launch, emphasizing innovation and social justice initiatives within their EMEA community (Relativity Announces General Availability Date for its GenAI-Powered Review Solution at Relativity Fest London - Legal IT Professionals).
On the funding front, DeepJudge raised $10.7 million in seed funding, reinforcing its mission to support legal teams in leveraging internal data efficiently. Swiss firm Homburger is already deriving significant benefits from its technology.
The convergence of AI and legal practice sets. Swiss firm Homburger is already deriving significant benefits from its new benchmarks for efficiency, accuracy, and ethical responsibility, with a clear trend towards increased transparency and technological fluency imperative for modern legal professionals.
Key stories
The recent joint ethics opinion by the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations underscores the imperative for attorneys to maintain technological competence, now extending explicitly to generative AI. This directive emphasizes that the ethical responsibilities pertaining to generative AI align with those governing any technology use in legal practice. Key concerns include ensuring the accuracy and integrity of AI-generated content, verifying citations, preventing misuse, and safeguarding client confidentiality. The opinion highlights unique challenges posed by AI, including potential biases and "hallucinations" in text generation. Lawyers are advised to secure client consent when necessary and maintain transparency about AI’s use and limitations. This thorough framework aims to ensure that AI enhances legal practice without compromising ethical standards. The overarching message is clear: while generative AI is a powerful tool, it requires diligent oversight and professional judgment to be used effectively and ethically.
Orbital Witness to Offer GenAI Accuracy Insurance in Legal Tech World First (Artificial Lawyer)
Orbital Witness's introduction of an insurance policy for the accuracy of its generative AI outputs marks a pioneering move in the legal tech and proptech industries. Partnering with First Title, this initiative uniquely addresses the reliability concerns surrounding AI-driven real estate documentation processes. By offering insurance, Orbital Witness not only provides clients with an additional layer of security but also demonstrates significant confidence in its AI's accuracy. This development stands to influence the legal sector profoundly, potentially becoming a benchmark for other companies. It paves the way for broader adoption of AI technologies in legal tasks, by mitigating downside risks and ensuring compliance. The move is timely, reflecting the escalating scrutiny on AI's efficacy within legal frameworks. If successful, it could lead to similar offerings across different legal domains and accelerate AI integration globally. This strategic innovation underscores a blend of foresight and responsiveness to market demands, positioning Orbital Witness as a frontrunner in legal AI solutions.
All stories
iManage ConnectLive London: Observations and Revelations (Legal IT Insider)
The iManage ConnectLive conference showcased AI's transformative role in knowledge work, emphasizing data, governance, and cloud platforms. Key discussions included successful cloud transitions at firms like Linklaters and Vinge, and AI tools like Copilot and Ask iManage enhancing productivity. The event highlighted a shift from AI fears to practical applications improving business outcomes and user experiences.
Luminance’s Ex-CEO, Emily Foges, Joins The Barrister Group as COO (Artificial Lawyer)
Emily Foges, ex-CEO of Luminance and Deloitte executive, is now COO of The Barrister Group (TBG). TBG, the first private equity-backed legal services firm at the English Bar, plans to grow its barrister network and enhance legal tech use. Foges supports TBG's focus on skills-based hiring and tech efficiency.
GenAI Hallucinations? Lawyers Aren’t Perfect Either (Artificial Lawyer)
The article examines the flaws in both human lawyers and generative AI tools, questioning acceptable error levels. It notes that while AI makes mistakes, human errors are also common but often corrected internally. The piece stresses the importance of defining "good enough" accuracy for both AI and humans to integrate AI effectively into legal practice.
Ashurst launches global Harvey partnership following firmwide trial (Legal IT Insider)
Ashurst has teamed up with Harvey to deploy a generative AI solution for its global workforce of over 4,000. The firm conducted thorough trials and created customized training materials for the implementation. This move aligns with Ashurst's 2027 Strategy to boost digital capabilities and improve client service.
Screens Publicly Announces 97.5% GenAI Accuracy in Transparency Move (Artificial Lawyer)
Legal tech company Screens announced a 97.5% accuracy rate for its genAI tools. This move aims to boost transparency and trust in the legal tech sector. By sharing their methodology and results, Screens hopes to encourage wider adoption of genAI in legal practices.
New Gavel Feature Uses AI to Convert PDFs into Automated Document-Generation Workflows (LawSites)
Gavel has launched Gavel Blueprint for PDF, a generative AI tool designed to automate PDF form workflows for lawyers. The tool identifies key fields in documents and suggests questions to complete them, improving efficiency in form-heavy practice areas. Lawyers can accept or reject AI-generated rules, ensuring accuracy and minimizing errors.
Navigating Brazil’s proposed AI regulation in a global context (The Legal Technologist)
AI is transforming various sectors in Brazil, notably healthcare and finance. Despite its benefits, it poses risks such as biases, privacy concerns, and job losses. Therefore, immediate regulation is essential.
Relativity announced the global launch of its AI-powered review tool, Relativity aiR for Review, set for Q3. The company also introduced aiR for Privilege and aiR for Case Strategy to improve legal workflows. Their EMEA community is driving AI innovation and supporting social justice initiatives like the Justice for Change Programme.
DeepJudge Raises $10.7M Seed Round Funding and Announces Knowledge Assistant (Legal Tech Blog)
DeepJudge secured $10.7 million in seed funding led by Coatue, with contributions from prominent angel investors. The company provides AI tools to help legal teams efficiently access and utilize internal data. Homburger, a leading Swiss law firm, has successfully adopted and engaged with DeepJudge's technology.
