The advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) tools specifically designed for the legal profession has stirred a vital conversation on a lawyer’s technology competence obligation. Practicing lawyers apprehensive of embracing Gen AI ought to pay attention to the perspectives put forth by the vanguardists of this cutting-edge technology.
Save for a few exemptions, 40 U.S. states have adopted Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. This rule establishes that for the maintenance of requisite skill and knowledge, a lawyer must stay current with changes in practice and law, including grasping benefits and potential pitfalls linked with pertinent technology. Hence, it illuminates an ethical duty for lawyers to be professionally proficient with technology in their practice.
Some business insiders propose that the “technology competence” directive imposes an ethical obligation upon lawyers to integrate AI into their firms. They point to the era when email, computer-assisted research, and document redaction were all described as novel – implying that AI could be the newest instance of technology becoming standard practice in the profession. Additionally, they emphasize two other ethical considerations:
- According to an ABA Journal article, the ABA Model Rule 1.5, which prescribes that a lawyer’s fees must be fair, could raise questions against lawyers who resist adopting new AI instruments that significantly diminish the costs of providing legal services.
- ABA Model Rule 1.3, which mandates that a lawyer performs with reasonable diligence and promptness in client matters, might apply if a lawyer chooses not to implement an AI solution that improves efficiencies in court filings or contract negotiations.
The pioneers of Legal AI tools have dealt with these possible ethical dilemmas by deliberately adopting Gen AI technology. This approach allows the capturing of the benefits from these tools designed exclusively for the legal domain, while minimising the potential risks tied to the first wave of “open Web” Gen AI tools, like ChatGPT.
The brand new Gen AI platform, Lexis+ AI, endeavors to revolutionize legal work by delivering a suite of legal research, drafting, and summarization utilities that actualizes the potential of Gen AI technology.
Lexis+ AI is enhancing the early adopters’ competitive edge in the market by expediting and optimising outcomes for their clientele. Initial users of Lexis+ AI are proclaiming enormous enhancements in their daily workflow, opening with significant time savings. In particular, practitioners at large law firms report saving up to 11 hours weekly using Lexis+ AI compared to their current solutions for daily tasks.
Early adopters are also expressing satisfaction with the platform’s speed, stating that Lexis+ AI responds to legal research queries 2X faster than Westlaw. Even more impressively, over nine out of 10 (91%) of early adopters deem that Lexis+ AI is user-friendly.
Lexis+ AI pairs first-rate legal content with revolutionary Gen AI technology in a manner that could redefine legal research and legal work product generation. To find out more or to request a free trial of Lexis+ AI, please visit www.lexisnexis.com/ai.