Ed.
note:
This
is
part
of
a
series
detailing
Gen
AI’s
impact
on
the
legal
profession
from
our
friends
at
Thomson
Reuters.
For
a
further
deep
dive
on
Gen
AI,
download
the The
Business
Case
for
AI
At
Your
Law
Firm
here.
Law
firms
of
all
sizes
have
an
opportunity
to
adjust
the
way
they
work
with
generative
AI.
Generative
AI
can
help
all
legal
professionals
stretch
their
idea
of what
technology
can
do
and
create
important
opportunities
for
growth.
What
is
generative
AI?
Generative
AI
is
a type
of
machine
learning that
creates
drafts
of
content
like
documents,
images,
and
songs
in
response
to
prompts
from
the
user.
ChatGPT
from
OpenAI
is
one
of
the
best-known
generative
AI
tools,
though
several
other
offerings
have
become
widely
available.
These
tools
comb
through
large
volumes
of
content
to
create
“the
best”
response
to
the
prompt.
“Generative
AI
is
smart
enough
to
give
a
plausible
answer
to
most
prompts,”
says
Zach
Warren,
who
leads
Technology
and
Innovation
Content
for
the
Thomson
Reuters
Institute.
“From
there,
the
human
using
the
tool
should
decide
whether
the
material
is
accurate
and
edits
it.
It
can
be
a
great
way
to
get
a
solid
first
draft,
even
for
legal
issues.”
Many
legal
professionals
are
already
considering
the
use
of
generative
AI
in
their
legal
practice.
In
a
recent
survey,
the Thomson
Reuters
Institute
found that
82%
of
legal
professionals
believe
that
the
capability can be
used
in
legal
work.
Only
51%
believed
that
it should be
used
in
legal
work.
The
difference
suggests
that
legal
professionals
see
the
potential
but
are
unsure
if
they
can
trust
the
available tools
to
deliver
accurate
legal
work
product.
Warren
offers
several
ways
lawyers
can
use
generative
AI
to
create
efficiencies
in
their
practice.
For
instance, you
can
ask
the
tool
to
write
a
brief
or
contract
based
on
a
set
of
facts.
Once
the
tool
generates
a
draft,
you
check
the
citations,
terms,
and
narrative,
editing
the
draft
rather
than
starting
from
scratch.
You
can
also
use
generative
AI
tools
to
draft
an
RFP
response
to
lighten
the
load
in
business
development.
Generative
AI
also
has
the
potential
to
synthesize
large
amounts
of
data.
For
instance,
you
can
upload
four
contracts
to
an
AI
tool
and
ask
to
see
the
similarities
and
differences.
You
can
analyze
spreadsheets
full
of
data
or
get
plain
language
answers
to
legal
questions.
Impact
of
generative
AI
on
legal
practice
Generative
AI
is
poised
to
create
incredible
efficiencies
and
cut
down
on
the
number
of
hours
that
lawyers
work.
Warren
says
that
with
a
trusted
tool,
a
legal
professional
may
be
able
to
cut
down
a
task
such a brief
writing
from
ten
hours
to
even
one
hour.
“That
means
the
differentiating
factor
for
lawyers
won’t
be
time.
It
will
be
how
well
people
manage
their
cases,”
says
Warren.
Law
firms
will
all
need
to
leverage
their
efficiency
gains
and
still
bill
for
the
value
they
provide.
This
dynamic
plays
out
differently
depending
on
firm
size.
Solo
attorneys
and
smaller
firms
will
find
that
their
innovative
use
of
generative
AI
enables
them
to
take
on
matters
they
couldn’t
before.
Larger
firms
will
find
that
their
clients
expect
them
to
use
generative
AI,
and
they
will
need
to
adapt
processes
and
pricing
to
properly
capture
value.
Let’s
look
at
the
impact
of
generative
AI
on
law
firms,
depending
on
their
size.
Solo
attorneys
use
generative
AI
to
grow
Generative
AI
can
be
a
powerful
helper
for
solo
attorneys
looking
to
grow
their
practice.
For
solos
billing
by
the
hour,
growth
is
limited
by
the
number
of
hours
in
a
day.
Even
those
who
price
by
the
matter
are
limited
by
their
own
ability
to
get
through
the
work
in
a
reasonable
time
frame.
With AI-powered
legal
research and know-how from
a
trusted
source,
you
can
cut
significant
time
from
both
transactional
and
litigation
matters.
“This
is
pure
time
savings,”
Warren
says.
“You’re
not
giving
different
advice,
but
maybe
you
can
take
on
more
clients
or
do
more
work.”
You
may
be
more
available
to
take
client
calls
or
meet
with
them
when
you
are
spending
less
time
researching
and
drafting.
You
may
also
be
better
positioned
to
offer
flat-rate
pricing,
which
clients
may
appreciate.
Rather
than
using
the
extra
time
to
take
on
more
work,
some
attorneys
may
use
generative
AI
to
deliver
the
same
amount
of
work
in
less
time.
That
gives
them
the
opportunity
to
spend
more
time
with
family
or
on
their
own
personal
growth.
Either
way,
if
you’re
spending
less
time
on
tasks
like
research
or
form
submissions,
you
have
more
time
to
spend
how
you
want
to
spend
it.
Small
law
firms
innovate
through
generative
AI
Small
law
firms
–
those
with
up
to
10
attorneys
–
also
benefit
from
the
time
savings
that
their
solo
counterparts
experience.
They
can
take
on
more
matters
with
their
lean
teams,
and
they
can explore
new
practice
areas
more
easily,
especially
with AI-powered
know-how
tools.
Small
law
firms
that
adopt
generative
AI
early
are
likely
to
be
seen
as
innovative
and
forward-thinking.
Rather
than
waiting
for
the
market
to
settle
on
uses
for
generative
AI,
early
adopters
can
experiment
based
on
the
needs
of
the
firm
or
the
interests
of
the
attorneys.
“Small
law
firms
have
so
much
flexibility
to
experiment
and
implement
new
tools,”
Warren
says.
“If
you
have
individual
attorneys
who
are
taking
the
time
to
learn
this,
you’ll
find
there
are
so
many
more
ways
to
use
the
tools.”
Where
larger
firms
may
wait
on
committees
or
consultants
to
approve
an
AI
approach,
smaller
firms
can
move
quickly
to
take
advantage
of
the
capabilities.
Small
firms
may
also
benefit
more
immediately
because
they
can
get
even
more
from
their
new
associates.
“Training
and
getting
people
out
of
law
school
is
going
to
be
interesting,”
Warren
says.
“Documents,
legal
research,
writing
contracts
are
tasks
that
can
be
streamlined
or
automated
or
simplified
with
generative
AI,
and
they
are
also
tasks
that
most
often
fall
to
newer
associates.
Firms
that
use
generative
AI
will
be
able
to
move
new
associates
to
more
strategic
work
more
quickly.”
This
is
a
selling
point
for
clients,
who
don’t
want
to
pay
to
train
new
associates.
It’s
also
a
differentiator
in
hiring.
Small
law
firms
can
compete
better
in
the
war
for
talent
if
they
are
able
to
promise
less
grunt
work
and
more
opportunities
to
work
directly
with
partners
and
clients.
“Generative
AI
can
be
a
huge
boon
to
associates
looking
to
accelerate
their
career,”
Warren
says.
Mid-size
law
firms
use
generative
AI
to
compete
on
a
new
level
Warren
says
that
on
the
whole,
AI
can
be
seen
as
an equalizer
for
both
small
and
midsize
firms.
“You’re
competing
with
enterprise
firms
that
can
just
throw
people
at
a
problem,”
he
says. Generative
AI
like
Chat GPT,
Copilot
and
legal-specific
tools can
act
as
a
force
multiplier
for
smaller
firms
that
don’t
have
armies
of
new
associates.
Partners
are
particularly
aware
of
this
dynamic.
In
fact,
in
the
Thomson
Reuters
Institute
study,
“ChatGPT
&
Generative
AI
within
Law
Firms,”
partners
were
the
most
likely
to
respond
that
generative
AI should be
used
in
legal
work,
outpacing
the
total
59%
to
51%.
“If
you’ve
made
partner,
you’re
thinking
strategically
about
cases
and
about
what’s
right
for
the
firm
and
the
business,”
Warren
says.
“You’re
aware
of
the
efficiencies
the
tools
bring,
of
the
way
those
efficiencies
could
lower
costs
or
boost
growth.”
For
an
attorney
eager
to
make
a
name
for
themselves
in
the
firm,
helping
the
firm
learn
and
implement AI
could
be
an
important
career
booster.
“This
is
the
time
for
firms
to
empower
people
who
are
curious,”
Warren
says.
“Right
now,
the
interest
in
generative
AI
is
high
but
adoption
is
low.
Being
the
person
who
jumpstarts
the
AI
initiative
in
your
firm
can
be
very
powerful
for
career
development.”
Aspiring
AI
experts
can
look
at AI-powered
document
review
tools, know-how,
and legal
research platforms
as
possible
new
tools
for
the
firm.
Global
large
law
firms
match
client
needs
with
generative
AI
“Generative
AI
represents
a
shift
in
how
global
large
law
firms
approach
their
business,”
says
Warren.
That
could
mean
that
they’ll
see
more
client
pressure
to
go
to
flat-rate
pricing.
Or
that
corporate
clients
could
decide
to
keep
more
matters
in
house.
“Clients
want
big
firms
to
use
technology.
They
also
don’t
want
to
pay
firms
to
handle
things
they
can
do
themselves.”
Warren
identifies
this
as
a
particular
issue
for
the
global
large
law
firms,
versus
smaller
firms,
because
their
clients
tend
to
be
the
largest
corporations.
They
have
large
legal
teams
themselves,
and
they
are
keen
to
manage
costs
as
closely
as
possible.
The Association
of
Corporate
Counsel
(ACC)
recently
reported nearly
60%
of
corporate
legal
departments
have
someone
fully
dedicated
to
tech
and
operations.
They
are
automating
their
processes,
and
they
expect
their
law
firms
to
do
the
same.
“Small
companies
may
appreciate
you
using
generative
AI,”
Warren
says,
“But
large
companies
will
expect
it.”
Global
large
law
firms
will
have
to
navigate
through
the
same
disruptive
dynamics
that
small
and
mid-size
firms
do,
but
on
a
greater
scale.
You
will
have
to
continually
look
at
pricing
models
to
be
sure
you’re
capturing
the
value
of
your
work
product.
You’ll
have
to
look
at
how
you
onboard
new
associates,
what
work
you
have
them
cut
their
teeth
on,
and
how
you
mentor
them
through
the
early
years
of
their
practice.
Firms
may
find
that
generative
AI
changes
much
about
their
businesses.
Not
because
it
replaced
lawyers,
but
because
it disrupted
the
status
quo around
the
billable
hour,
overworked
associates,
tedious
work,
and
impossible
goals
so
completely.
It
can’t
replace
expertise,
but
a
combination
of
best-in-class
AI-powered
technology
could
significantly
reshape
the
way
global
large
law
firms
and
their
clients
do
business
together.
Conclusion
“Generative
AI
will
affect
all
lawyers,
no
matter
which
size
firm
you
work
for,”
Warren
says.
He
urges
legal
practitioners
to
start
exploring
the
capabilities
now.
And
to
understand
how
different
platforms
verify
their
results.
“Don’t
use
something
you
can’t
trust,”
he
says.
Those
firms
that
lean
into
the
capabilities
can
start
to
realize
significant
time
savings
and
perhaps
shift
their
approach
to
pricing,
employee
training,
and
retention
to
reduce
costs
and
grow
revenue.
Solo
attorneys
can
take
on
more
matters
without
working
more
hours
–
or
they
can
spend
less
time
working
while
maintaining
their
income.
Small
and
mid-size
firms
can
compete
with
larger
firms,
either
by
taking
on
more
matters
or
by
expanding
their
practice
areas.
Global
large
law
firms
will
use
generative
AI
to
keep
up
with
their
corporate
clients
and
offer
greater
value
in
less
time.
Generative
AI
is
only
as
good
as
its
source
material.
See
how
Thomson
Reuters
is providing
trusted
answers
through
AI.
Zach
Warren
leads
technology
and
innovation
content
for
the
Thomson
Reuters
Institute.
Zach
has
been
writing
and
speaking
on
tech
and
innovation
for
more
than
a
decade,
and
with
Thomson
Reuters,
charts
the
future
of
professional
services
industries,
including
legal,
tax,
and
risk
&
fraud,
through
writing,
podcasts,
speaking
engagements,
and
more.