Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into various sectors, including the legal industry, to increase productivity and efficiency. My firm, Baker Donelson, is piloting several AI systems including Co-Pilot and Harvey. Soon, all lawyers will need to understand how to and how not to use AI. Lawyers will not be replaced by AI, but lawyers who do not use AI will be replaced by those who do.

AI can also transform the delivery of legal services to underserved and needy populations. This column explores the various applications of AI in legal services, the benefits it offers, the challenges it faces and the future prospects of AI in enhancing access to justice. As you’ll learn in this issue’s cover story beginning on page 16, many of TBA’s legal services provider partners across the state are already implementing many of these tools and seeing firsthand how their clients benefit.

Access to legal services is a fundamental right that many individuals, especially those from low-income backgrounds, struggle to obtain. Barriers such as high costs, limited availability of legal professionals and complex legal processes often prevent the needy from seeking justice. AI can help bridge this gap by offering innovative solutions that make legal services more accessible and affordable.

Legal Chatbots

Legal chatbots are AI-powered tools that provide instant legal advice and information. These chatbots can answer common legal questions, guide users through legal processes and even help draft legal documents. By offering 24/7 assistance, legal chatbots can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with obtaining legal advice.

LegalZoom provides a chatbot that assists users with creating legal documents such as wills, contracts and business formations offering step-by-step guidance and ensuring that documents comply with legal standards. LawDroid is an AI-powered chatbot that can help with client intake, answering legal questions, and providing legal information, and is particularly useful for legal aid organizations looking to streamline their services and reach more clients. Paladin is a platform that connects pro bono lawyers with individuals in need of legal assistance that uses AI to match clients with the right legal professionals based on their specific needs and helps with client intake and provides initial legal guidance. Gideon is an AI chatbot that assists with legal research and document drafting that is particularly useful for legal services organizations looking to enhance their research capabilities.

Document Automation

AI can automate the creation of legal documents, such as contracts, wills and affidavits. Document automation tools use natural language processing (NLP) to understand user inputs and generate accurate legal documents which not only saves time but also ensures that documents are free from errors and comply with legal standards.

DocuSign offers a comprehensive e-signature and document automation platform that simplifies the creation, signing and management of legal documents that is widely used by legal aid organizations to streamline the process of obtaining signatures on important documents, making it easier for underserved populations to complete legal paperwork. HotDocs is a document automation software that allows users to create complex legal documents quickly and accurately that is particularly useful for legal services organizations that need to generate large volumes of standardized documents, such as wills, contracts and affidavits. LawGeex uses AI to automate the review and approval of contracts that compares contracts against predefined legal standards and highlights any discrepancies, ensuring that documents are compliant and free from errors. LegalZoom provides a range of document automation services, including the creation of wills, business formation documents and contracts that offers step-by-step guidance to users, ensuring that documents are accurate and legally compliant. Rocket Lawyer offers an online platform for creating legal documents, such as contracts, wills and leases that provides templates and step-by-step instructions to help users generate legally sound documents. A2J Author is a document automation tool specifically designed for legal aid organizations that allows users to create guided interviews that help individuals generate legal documents.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics involves using AI to analyze large datasets and predict legal outcomes. This can be particularly useful for individuals who cannot afford lengthy legal battles. By providing insights into the likely outcomes of a case, predictive analytics can help users make informed decisions about whether to pursue legal action.

Predictive analytics can be used to develop risk assessment tools that help legal professionals evaluate the likelihood of various legal outcomes. These tools analyze historical data to predict the chances of success in cases such as eviction defense, asylum applications or criminal defense. By providing insights into the likely outcomes, these tools help underserved individuals make informed decisions about pursuing legal action.

A risk assessment tool can help a public defender evaluate the likelihood of a favorable outcome for a client facing criminal charges, allowing them to strategize more effectively. Legal services organizations can used predictive analytics to identify which cases are most likely to succeed and have the greatest impact, allowing them to allocate resources more effectively, such as using predictive analytics to prioritize cases involving domestic violence, ensuring that the most urgent and high-impact cases receive immediate attention. By analyzing data on legal needs and outcomes, organizations can ensure that resources are directed to underserved communities where they can have the most significant impact, such as identifying regions with high eviction rates and allocating more pro bono lawyers to those areas to provide eviction defense services.

A predictive analytics tool can match a tenant facing eviction with a legal aid organization specializing in housing law, ensuring they receive the most relevant assistance. Predictive analytics can help detect and prevent fraud in legal aid applications. Predictive analytics can help legal services organizations assess the needs of their clients more accurately by analyzing data on client demographics, legal issues and outcomes.

Legal Research

AI-powered legal research tools can quickly sift through vast amounts of legal information to find relevant case law, statutes and regulations. These tools can help legal professionals and individuals alike to access the information they need without spending hours on manual research.

vLex Fastcase offers advanced search capabilities and data visualization tools to help users find relevant legal information quickly and is often used by legal aid organizations to support their research needs and provide accurate legal advice to underserved clients. Casetext’s CARA A.I. feature allows users to upload briefs and receive recommendations for relevant cases and statutes and is particularly useful for legal services organizations that need to conduct thorough legal research efficiently. Ravel Law, now part of LexisNexis, provides data-driven insights and visualizations to help users understand the relationships between cases, judges and legal principles and is valuable for legal aid organizations that need to analyze complex legal issues and develop effective legal strategies. Google Scholar provides free access to a wide range of legal documents, including case law, legal journals and patents and is a helpful resource for individuals and legal services organizations that need to conduct legal research without incurring significant costs. The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School conducts empirical research on legal services and access to justice and focuses on developing evidence-based solutions to improve legal outcomes for underserved populations, and often collaborates with legal aid organizations to test and implement innovative legal services.

The Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell Law School provides free access to a wide range of legal information, including federal and state statutes, regulations and case law. LII’s resources are widely used by legal services organizations and individuals seeking legal information. Pro Bono Net is a nonprofit organization that provides online tools and resources to support pro bono legal work whose platforms, such as LawHelp.org and probono.net, offer legal information, self-help resources and connections to legal aid organizations which help underserved populations access legal information and find pro bono legal assistance. Justia provides free access to a comprehensive database of legal information, including case law, statutes, regulations and legal articles and offers a directory of legal services organizations and pro bono services.

Virtual Legal Assistants

Virtual legal assistants are AI systems that can perform various administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments, managing case files and tracking deadlines. By automating these tasks, virtual legal assistants free up time for legal professionals to focus on more complex aspects of their work, ultimately benefiting their clients.

Clara can schedule appointments, send reminders and manage client communications that allows legal aid organizations to focus more on providing direct legal services to their clients. LISA (Legal Intelligence Support Assistant) helps users draft legal documents and agreements which guides users through a series of questions to generate customized legal documents, such as non-disclosure agreements and employment contracts and is particularly useful for individuals and small businesses that need affordable legal assistance. ROSS Intelligence’s Harvey uses natural language processing to understand legal queries and provide accurate answers and is valuable for legal services organizations that need to conduct thorough legal research efficiently. My firm and I are currently piloting Harvey. Ailira (Artificially Intelligent Legal Information Resource Assistant) is designed to provide legal information and assistance in areas such as tax law, business law and estate planning. It offers a user-friendly interface and helps users understand their legal rights and obligations, which is particularly useful for underserved populations seeking legal information.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

The use of AI in legal services raises concerns about data privacy and security. Sensitive legal information must be protected to prevent unauthorized access and misuse. Legal service providers must implement robust data encryption and security measures to protect client information.

AI algorithms can sometimes exhibit bias, which can lead to unfair outcomes. It is essential to ensure that AI systems are trained on diverse datasets and regularly audited for bias.

AI tools must comply with legal and regulatory standards to  ensure that they provide accurate and lawful advice. This requires ongoing monitoring and updates to keep up with changes in the law.

While AI can automate many aspects of legal services, human oversight is still necessary to ensure that AI tools are used appropriately and ethically. Legal professionals must be involved in the development and deployment of AI systems.

Future Prospects

The future of AI in legal services is promising, with ongoing advancements in technology and increasing adoption by legal professionals. As AI continues to evolve, it has the potential to further enhance access to justice for underserved populations. Collaboration between AI developers, legal professionals and policymakers will be crucial in realizing the full potential of AI in the legal domain.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence offers a transformative solution to the challenges faced by underserved populations in accessing legal services. By leveraging AI-powered tools such as legal chatbots, document automation, predictive analytics, legal research and virtual legal assistants, the legal sector can provide cost-effective, efficient and accessible services to those in need. However, it is essential to address the ethical and regulatory challenges associated with AI to ensure that it is used responsibly and effectively. With continued innovation and collaboration, AI has the potential to significantly improve access to justice for all. |||

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ED LANQUIST JR. is a shareholder in the Nashville office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz and has practiced intellectual property (IP) law for more than 30 years. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, he co-founded a full-service IP and technology law firm. Over the course of his career, he has advised companies of all sizes on the protection of their IP. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1988 and is a past president of the Nashville Bar Association and the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association. Lanquist has served on over 50 nonprofit boards.

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