POWERING LEGAL STRATEGY, PROCESS AND RESULTS: AI’S IMPACT ON LITIGATION
Few technologies have garnered more hype in the legal world than artificial intelligence (AI). A buzzword in every sense, AI has been promised to solve every challenge in legal practice, from contract creation and predicting the duration and outcome of a case, to patent analysis, alternative billing and document review. The lines between AI’s broader potential and actual, practical capabilities, have been blurred time and again.
In reality, the hype cycle remains ahead of actual impact. We are nowhere near a world in which AI replaces the role, legal expertise and strategic value of lawyers. Rather, we are seeing progress toward its ability to augment legal work and create more time and mental capacity for lawyers to focus on higher-value tasks.
Defining AI
AI theory started in universities in the late 1950s and evolved slowly. Ask 100 people for a definition of AI, and you will receive 100 unique responses. They may all be correct. From our perspective, AI refers to computer automation of functions that traditionally required human intelligence. AI systems are programmed to use logical rules, or algorithms, to analyse data, establish patterns and identify insights. AI is exhibited in systems that can detect patterns and both learn and predict. In the context of legal practice and litigation, it is being used to assist in e-discovery, investigations, due diligence, contract review and legal research. It can be used to assist with and automate certain day-to-day tasks, freeing up junior lawyer hours, reducing the time needed to complete high-volume, process-driven projects and boosting efficiency.
Apr-Jun 2020 issue
FTI Consulting