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AI is everywhere these days, and the legal profession is no exception. While tools like ChatGPT may be all the rage for the general public, the legal world has quietly been integrating AI into its operations for years. But in recent times, interest has hit an all-time high. Law firms have always been at the forefront of adopting new technologies, but now, with AI's potential to streamline processes, enhance client services and reduce costs, it's no surprise that legal technology is becoming a game-changer. 

In fact, a recent Goldman Sachs report estimates that a staggering 44% of current legal work tasks could be automated by AI. For context, the average across all industries is just 25%. This means that AI could drastically reduce the time spent on repetitive, manual tasks in law firms, allowing lawyers to focus on more complex, strategic work. It’s clear – AI is no longer just a buzzword. It's shaping the future of legal practices, and the firms that aren’t jumping on board could be left behind.

Stay tuned as we dive into how AI is helping law firms not just keep up with the competition, but actually lead the charge into the future.

AI enhances legal research efficiency

AI technology is revolutionising the legal research landscape, making it faster, smarter and more efficient. With the ability to process vast amounts of legal documents, case law, statutes and precedents in a fraction of the time it would take a human, AI is changing how lawyers approach their research.

For example, Harvey AI is designed to handle the mundane and repetitive tasks that often bog down legal professionals, freeing them up to focus on higher-level tasks like strategy, legal advice and exercising their judgment. With Harvey’s power, lawyers can expect to tackle complex legal work with unmatched efficiency, quality and intelligence.

David Wakeling, the global head of markets innovation group and AI advisory practice at A&O Shearman, perfectly sums up the mission behind Harvey in legal work: “We want to free the lawyer from mundane, routine tasks, so that they can focus on what matters – strategy, advice and judgment.” This mantra is driving A&O Shearman’s groundbreaking integration of AI like Harvey into its day-to-day operations.

Smart data for smarter legal work

Scanning through piles of information can be incredibly time-consuming, and let's face it, it’s one of the more mundane tasks for lawyers. Instead of diving straight into the strategic work that truly matters, they’re often stuck sifting through documents, looking for that one piece of information. It’s tedious and takes valuable time away from higher-level legal work. That’s where smart AI tools come in to shake things up – helping lawyers speed up this process and focus on what really counts.

Today AI is changing the game in e-discovery, making the whole process faster, smarter and more accurate. AI tools, especially those powered by machine learning and natural language processing, can automate document review. This means lawyers no longer need to manually sift through potentially millions of documents. Instead, AI can quickly scan and identify patterns, categorise documents and even predict which ones are most likely to be relevant, based on past decisions. This saves lawyers valuable time and reduces the risk of human error.

Boost efficiency with document automation

Drafting and creating legal documents can be a major time sink, especially when you’re working with repetitive templates. That’s where document automation comes in. This process uses pre-set templates and rules to generate legal documents quickly and efficiently. With the help of AI, lawyers can input specific client information, and the system will automatically create customised documents like contracts, wills and legal notices.

Gavel's Blueprint is taking document automation to the next level by combining traditional AI with generative AI. This powerful tool allows lawyers to quickly create automated workflows from their existing document templates, all in just a few minutes. With Blueprint, legal professionals can harness the full potential of AI to streamline their document creation process, saving time and boosting efficiency.