Key Takeaways

  • Artificial intelligence lacks the emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, or creativity that distinguishes lawyers’ work. 

  • AI can do some of the tasks lawyers currently do, such as reviewing documents for disclosure and analyzing data.

  • AI excels at repetitive, data-driven tasks that can quickly produce accurate results.

  • Artificial intelligence and lawyers complement each other: AI performs repetitive, tedious, time-consuming work, leaving lawyers free to strategize, apply emotional intelligence, and solve problems.

  • In the future, AI will probably be used alongside human expertise, with lawyers deploying AI tools to streamline their work.

  • AI raises novel legal considerations, such as liability for decisions made based on information from algorithms, data privacy, and ethical considerations, creating opportunities for lawyers to specialize in these areas.

  • Post a job on UpCounsel today to find a lawyer in your state to help with your legal needs. 

 

As it is in many industries, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly significant role in the legal realm. Now, many wonder if AI will replace lawyers or how they can coexist. 
 

Others are already convinced that AI can effectively perform several legal services without a lawyer’s intervention. Some are more reluctant to choose an AI lawyer over a human being. 
 

This article will discuss fundamental information about AI in the legal context. The conversation will include the strengths and weaknesses of AI vs. lawyers, how they can complement one another, and much more. 


 

Understanding AI in the Legal Context

 

In law and many other industries, AI can execute certain tasks that historically relied on human intelligence. ⁤⁤These tasks could be as simple as reviewing a document for relevance or as nuanced as predictive analysis and drafting legal documents. 
 

An AI-powered tool can review the data in seconds and identify relevant information that a lawyer might not be able to find in hours or days. However, this is only a fraction of a lawyer's tasks, and artificial intelligence has limitations. 
 

While AI can be great at processing data and spotting connections, it is not as successful at gaining the emotional or intuitive understanding of a situation that comes only from human experience. 
 

Artificial intelligence can excel at repetitive, data-driven tasks but not those requiring emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, or creative problem-solving.
 

There are strengths and weaknesses of artificial intelligence in law, and understanding these is important to know when it is appropriate to use AI and situations in which a lawyer’s human touch is necessary. 


 

AI vs. Lawyers: Strengths and Weaknesses

 

Next, consider some areas where legal AI solutions excel and human judgment is irreplaceable. 
 

When comparing the two, it is important to focus on their respective strengths and weaknesses. ⁤⁤
 

Strengths

 

AI excels in areas where speed and data processing are crucial.
 

For example, AI can read thousands of documents and identify the relevant case laws and precedents much faster than any human could.
 

This makes AI a helpful tool for tasks such as e-discovery, where a large amount of data must be combed through quickly.

 

However, lawyers have critical thinking, empathy, and moral reasoning capacities, without which a case may not come together. They can make decisions based on context and emotion. 
 

Their moral sense may demand an outcome that is not obvious from the data, and they can read between the lines and interpret a case's subtleties. 
 

Of course, they can also relate to their clients as humans, providing advice and support in ways AI-driven legal services never could. 


 

Weaknesses


The first disadvantage of legal AI solutions is that they cannot contextualize information how humans can. The second is that machine-learning algorithms can ‘learn’ biases that they then pass on.
 

Bias is particularly concerning when they can influence the verdicts of legal proceedings. 

 

Lawyers can be overwhelmed by the amount of data that must be absorbed and processed. This can lead to mistakes that would otherwise be easy to avoid.
 

Fortunately, AI and lawyers each have strengths that can compensate for the other’s weaknesses. 


 

The Role of Collaboration: AI and Lawyers Working Together

 

Far from being mutually exclusive, AI and human skills and reasoning can be used in conjunction with one another to create more efficient and effective legal services. 
 

AI can perform data mining, document review, and routine legal research. Ideally, this frees lawyers to focus on strategy, client relations, and complex case analysis.
 

There are several examples of successful collaboration between lawyers and artificial intelligence already. 
 

Legal Documents

 

The speed of AI combined with a human's trained eye can be a powerful combination. ⁤⁤
 

For example, AI can create a rough draft of a legal document in seconds. This task is often labor-intensive and mundane when done by humans. Lawyers can then review these drafts and make corrections. 
 

Rather than starting from scratch, this can streamline the process without taking it away from lawyers.

 

Processing Information


Another use case for AI is identifying critical documents and precedents in litigation. Based on this information, lawyers can use their critical thinking abilities to build a convincing case.

 

This sort of collaboration increases the efficiency of the process and the quality of legal services. ⁤⁤The less time lawyers spend on monotonous, routine tasks, the more time they can spend on areas where their contribution is necessary.
 

New Legal Fields

 

As it is integrated into business and legal operations, AI creates new legal issues lawyers must grapple with. Rather than diminishing their work, these unique issues could actually increase the demand for lawyers.
 

Those issues include: 
 

Data privacy questions will also arise that lawyers will need to manage and handle regarding compliance and breaches.  

 

Far from creating a world where lawyers are replaced, AI could instead provide new opportunities by creating a demand for new, specialized skills.


 

Will AI Replace Lawyers? ⁤

 

While much of what attorneys (or legal clerks) do – particularly the discovery and analysis of the law – could be automated, many parts of the job will remain impervious to computer-based substitution. ⁤⁤
 

Workers in many industries will suffer losses due to AI, but that does not mean they will be replaced entirely.
 

In this Forbes article, Neils Martin Brochner explains how artificial intelligence and the law could have a similar story as lawyers and the internet: 
 

“[The internet] took work from lawyers. People were able to find legal information online, get free copies of contract templates, and solve a lot of simple tasks themselves using legal tech software. But the internet gave back tenfold with new practice areas such as privacy and IT law.
 

This is not to say that lawyers' work won’t change—or even disappear. There will most likely be less administrative work and we will probably need fewer clerks.”


 

The Future of Legal Practice 

 

The human aspects of the job cannot be replaced with AI in its current state. 
 

Client relationships, courtroom advocacy, and complex negotiations continue to demand human intervention.
 

Most importantly, AI cannot read the emotional and psychological dimensions of legal work. Many cases are won or lost precisely because of this.
 

However, AI will continue to develop in the coming years, taking on increasingly complex tasks and offering more sophisticated analyses. ⁤
 

And, as we’ve seen, lawyers will still be needed for their judgment, empathy, and consideration of the ethical issues at hand. 


 

Speak to a Lawyer About Artificial Intelligence


Do you need to speak to a lawyer about issues relating to artificial intelligence? Post a job on UpCounsel today to find a lawyer in your state. 
 

Lawyers on UpCounsel come from the best law schools in the world and have an average of 14 years of experience. 


 

⁤Frequently Asked Questions: AI and Lawyers

⁤

Will artificial intelligence replace lawyers? ⁤

While AI can automate some of what lawyers do, AI is unlikely to replace lawyers entirely in the near future. ⁤Human intervention is still required for oversight, complex cases, interactions with clients, and applying legal ethics. ⁤

 

⁤Is artificial intelligence a threat to lawyers? 

AI can be a tool, not a threat. ⁤It will be most useful for the work many people like least: routine and data-heavy tasks. ⁤Those who embrace it will find it only augments their work and the need for it, not replaces.

 

⁤Is AI the future of law? ⁤

AI will increasingly be involved in the legal profession of the future, particularly when it comes to automating routine tasks and providing more data-driven insights. 


As of now, it will likely do so not at the expense of lawyers but in cooperation with them, thereby improving overall quality and efficiency.