Here Are the Top AI Tools for Lawyers

With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology effectively transforming various industries and sectors of the economy (including the legal sector), many legal professionals are looking for the most effective and beneficial AI tools for lawyers. Despite coming to market in just the past few months, there are an impressive array of AI legal software, contract management, contract analysis, case management, and other related tools for lawyers. 

AI Software for Lawyers Is Booming

AI is a highly complex and evolving technology, with new uses and advances being made on a regular basis. This is important to note because AI definitions are still developing, as are the available AI powered tools (including tools for lawyers) in the marketplace. Nevertheless, AI for legal professionals offers a multitude of opportunities.

The Top Legal AI Tools

Whether a generative AI tool or AI technology is “the top” or “one of the best” will be an individual determination based on your unique needs, or your law firm’s unique needs. That said, the top legal AI tools should, in general, provide the following benefits:

• Enhance productivity: AI tools can be used to help automate and streamline routine and repetitive tasks, which helps improve a law firm’s overall workflow.
• Reduce the need to be involved in time consuming tasks: Many generative AI tools can analyze and process large volumes of information thereby saving lawyers and legal professionals a significant amount of time. That time saved can be passed along to your clients.
• Allow you to generate higher quality work product: AI powered tools have the potential to help you produce work that is consistent and higher quality, such as more efficiently and effectively reviewing documents for errors and/or missing clauses or provisions.
• Allow you to improve and boost the value you provide to clients: When a lawyer is freed from time consuming, inefficient tasks, they can generally spend more time engaging in legal work that ultimately translates in providing higher value to clients.

With these benefits in mind, here are some of the top legal AI tools.

AI Powered Legal Research

When assessing AI powered legal research tools, it is important to clearly define what tools we’re talking about and the scope of their capabilities. The term “legal research tools” does not mean a particular AI technology is limited to researching case law and regulatory guidance. Depending on the product or service, the AI powered legal research tool may have the capacity to aid you with document and contract analysis.

• Lexis+ AI: LexisNexis, one of the largest legal research companies in the market, adopted generative AI in its “Lexis+ AI” legal research tool. Lexis+ AI offers both case research and document drafting capabilities. The platform boasts a simple interface and user experience effectively mirroring OpenAI’s platform, ChatGPT. Much like ChatGPT, Lexis+ AI utilizes large language models enabling the AI research tool to respond in a matter of seconds to user prompts. In addition, the tool can assist in drafting summaries, legal documents, and communications. Lexis+ AI can also provide legal professionals with citations, including relevant case law, authorities and guidance, and enable users to copy and save generated text entries.
• Westlaw Precision: The other behemoth in the legal research marketplace, Westlaw, embraced generative AI technology with the rollout of Westlaw Precision. The capabilities of Westlaw Precision include impressive research speed and high-quality search results for legal professionals. Other features include allowing users to query Westlaw Precision (similar to ChatGPT) and quickly understand results using conversational language in a chat-type interface. Another helpful tool available in Westlaw Precision is “Outline Builder” which enables an attorney or legal professional to add headings, notes, citations, quotes to cases, and other material directly within Westlaw. You can then export the outline directly to a Word document.
• Gideon: This AI-powered legal research platform utilizes machine learning to help efficiently analyze case law and provide relevant search results. Gideon may be able to help save significant time by both identifying and highlighting important cases, their holdings, and primary points.

Document and Contract Analysis

Below are some impressive tools and products using AI technology that can assist attorneys and legal professionals with document and contract analysis.

• Kira Systems: This AI-powered contract analysis tool that uses AI and machine learning to extract and analyze relevant information from contracts. Kira Systems has the capacity to help identify clauses, provisions, and key data points, making contract review and analysis more efficient and accurate.
• Diligen: This is an AI-powered due diligence tool capable of automating the analysis of legal documents for tasks such as mergers and acquisitions, contract reviews, and compliance. Diligen can assist attorneys by identifying and extracting relevant information thereby increasing efficiency and accuracy.

Generative AI

Below are tools for lawyers and legal professionals utilizing the transformative generative AI capabilities. These tools have the ability to help generate written content for users.

• CoCounsel: CoCounsel is a large language model powered by OpenAI and Casetext, mentioned above. This AI tool is a legal assistant that is knowledgeable, reliable, and secure enough to support the practice of law. What sets this tool apart from other large language models is that it was trained for the law. Attorneys and AI specialists have rigorously and repeatedly tested this OpenAI-powered solution tailored to lawyers’ needs and reliable and secure enough to meet the highest bar.
• Harvey: Using a mix of different types of AI—natural language processing and machine learning—Harvey AI is an AI-powered legal research tool that’s touted as “unprecedented legal AI.” Similar to the AI bot ChatGPT, Harvey AI is built on a version of Open.AI’s GPT AI, while also using general legal data (like case law) and a law firm’s own work products and templates to specifically support legal work.

Writing Assistants

In contrast to generative AI tools, which help create written content for users, the tools below act as writing assistants and can aid you in editing and crafting the content you’ve written so it is the best it can be.

• Rytr: This AI-generated content writing platform provides immediate assistance in writing quality content. Rytr’s algorithms are trained on historical data, so they can produce compelling, insightful and accurate content, including proper tone, style, and grammar.
• Jasper: Formerly known as Jarvis, Jasper is an AI powered tool that can assist in the process of writing legal documents, blogs, articles, books, manuscripts, and so forth. The Jasper platform allows you to select a subject area and form, fill in the details, and this tool will actually help write the content (which will still need to be reviewed and edited).
• Sudowrite: If you need a “brainstorming” aid to help get you unstuck while drafting a dispositive motion, memorandum, or pleading, then consider Sudowrite. This AI writing assistant tool has the capacity to help users generate content, rewrite existing content into something new, and brainstorm new ideas.

AI Powered Marketing

Many attorneys need to find ways to both practice law and market their legal practice. The tools below are known to provide AI-powered marketing capabilities that can assist in expanding a lawyer’s brand presence and broaden their audience reach.

• GrowthBar: This tool utilizes GPT-3 AI to automate content generation. GrowthBar can also quickly suggest keywords, exact word count, links, images, and other strategies for optimization. The tool also has the capacity to provide extensive backlinking as well as creating blog post content outlines.
• Demand Gen: This marketing tool utilizes AI algorithms to identify optimal ad placements for advertisers and can help ensure that a brand’s photo and video ads are properly displayed across various Google products (including Gmail, YouTube feed, and Shorts). By capitalizing on the vast reach of Google’s platforms, Demand Gen can help advertisers maximize their exposure and engage with a broader audience.

This is Just the Beginning

AI technologies and tools are expected to continue to improve and advance. This means the legal industry can reasonably expect further developments and expanded options when it comes to AI-powered legal tools.

NBI offers a variety of courses designed to help practitioners understand the unique challenges and benefits associated with using Generative AI in their legal practices. We are committed to keeping our customers on the forefront of these disruptive and powerful technologies.

Patrick Austin is an attorney specializing in administrative law, including regulatory and compliance matters with experience working in both the public and private sector. Patrick graduated from Old Dominion University in 2009 with a BA in Technical & Professional Writing. He then went on to attend George Mason University School of Law and graduated in 2013. Upon passing the Virginia Bar Exam, Patrick went into private practice joining a boutique law firm focused on civil litigation. Patrick gained invaluable experience overseeing pre-trial discovery, responding to complaints, taking and defending depositions, and so forth. Patrick currently practices law in the Richmond, VA area.

This post was written by a guest blogger. Although this article was thoroughly reviewed by NBI staff, the views, opinions and positions expressed within the post are those of the author alone and do not represent those of NBI. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within the post are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations.