Legal
technology
has
a
way
of
missing
the
vast
middle
of
the
legal
market.
Biglaw
has
the
resources
to
build
out
the
latest
and
greatest
in
tech.
Small
law
jumps
into
technology
to
keep
themselves
competitive.
But
like
Jan
Brady,
the
midsize
firms
are
often
in
an
awkward
position:
big
enough
not
to
need
technology
to
sink
or
swim,
but
not
big
enough
to
dump
resources
into
a
cutting
edge
infrastructure.
They’re
the
kind
of
firm
where
you
can
end
up
with
a
CIO
who
is
also
the
receptionist
and
last
got
the
firm
on
board
with
a
big
upgrade
when
they
moved
to
Windows
7.
Actionstep,
a
cloud-based
law
firm
management
software
provider
with
a
soft
spot
for
that
midsize
market,
just
announced
its
new
AI
support
tool
Scout.
Scout
provides
users
with
an
in-platform
assistant
for
“the
joint
benefit
of
giving
our
customers
better
access
to
support,
along
with
more
relevant
and
timely
information
without
needing
to
make
a
request
through
traditional
support
avenues,”
according
to
Daniella
Bohill,
Actionstep’s
Senior
Vice
President
of
Customers.
The
company
says
the
tool
has
already
resolved
83%
of
queries
successfully
and
has
saved
approximately
140
customer
support
team
hours.
Built
with
OpenAI
technology,
Scout
is
trained
on
content
from
the
Actionstep
Practice
Management
Help
Center
and
Knowledge
Hub.
It’s
not
the
sexiest
AI
promise
out
there,
but
one
tailored
to
solve
a
precise
pain
point.
-
Instant
Q&As: –
Scout
searches
across
Actionstep’s
Practice
Management
Help
Center
to
find
the
most
relevant,
accurate
response
in
seconds,
ranging
from
how
to
generate
use
case-specific
reporting
to
creating
contacts
and
matters
with
custom
information. -
Smart
summaries:
Scout
pulls
insights
from
multiple
help
articles
and
Knowledge
Hub
sources
and
combines
them
into
easy-to-read
and
understand
responses. -
Step-by-step
assistance:
Scout
helps
users
complete
tasks
in
Actionstep
Practice
Management
with
thorough
step-by-step
guidance. -
Simplify
workflow:
Scout
is
designed
to
enhance
legal
professionals’
experience
in
Actionstep
Practice
Management
by
answering
questions
and
providing
in-app
guidance,
ensuring
users
can
stay
in
the
platform
and
remain
on
task.
The
first
hurdle
to
building
a
tech-infused
law
practice
is
keeping
the
technology
running
and
the
lawyers
engaged.
Minimizing
those
moments
where
a
frustrated
and
confused
lawyer
could
just
throw
up
their
hands
and
say
it’s
faster
to
do
this
the
old
way
is
a
win.
And
for
whatever
psychological
reason,
the
generative
AI
interface
makes
in-roads
with
lawyers
as
a
user
experience
that
nothing
else
has
before.
If
Scout
can
intervene
before
the
lawyer
calls
an
engineer
out
to
the
site
to
flip
a
switch
as
explained
on
page
4
of
the
manual
that
no
one
bothered
to
open,
it’s
an
achievement.
Not
that
a
lawyer
has
ever
wasted
an
engineer’s
time
before…
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
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politics,
and
a
healthy
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college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
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a
Managing
Director
at
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Executive
Search.