In a pioneering stride towards modernising the legal profession, law firms are gearing up to use artificial intelligence (AI) to draft, edit, and manage legal documents through an innovative software known as Lexis+. Developed by legal research giant LexisNexis, this game-changing AI system operates similarly to the popular language model ChatGPT but is expected to offer more reliability and precision.

The Lexis+ AI system ushers in a new era for legal professionals. Unlike its counterparts, the software enables users to carry out intricate tasks such as researching case law, summarising extensive documents, and drafting a variety of letters, all with ease and efficiency. Demonstrations of the system showed how the bot could swiftly summarise legal rules and regulations while providing applicable case examples.

Furthermore, the Lexis+ system offers an exciting feature that lets lawyers draft client emails while providing the flexibility to change the language or tone of the document. For instance, a cease and desist letter could be drafted to sound more assertive if the situation calls for it.

Leading legal firms including Baker McKenzie, Reed Smith, and Foley & Lardner are among the first to trial this transformative technology, signalling the industry’s readiness to embrace the digital age. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into the legal sector, law firms will be able to streamline their operations and improve service quality, ultimately benefiting clients.

As the creators of the innovative AI, LexisNexis built and trained Lexis+ on its extensive database of legal documents and records. The purpose of this meticulous training was to ensure the bot’s outputs are accurate and reliable, thereby circumventing the problem of ‘hallucinations’ – a term referring to factually incorrect responses – often associated with ChatGPT.

Jeff Pfeifer, Chief Product Officer at LexisNexis, emphasised the company’s commitment to mitigating AI risks. He stated, “Because our new, generative AI functionality is backed by verifiable, citable authority, users can conduct complex legal work in an environment that’s designed to mitigate the well-documented large language model risks of hallucination.”

However, the introduction of this revolutionary chatbot raises concerns regarding potential job losses, given the increasing ease of automation through AI tools. Last week, the chief executive of tech behemoth IBM cautioned that AI could replace thousands of jobs in the next five years.

Addressing these concerns, Steve Kuncewicz, a partner at law firm Glaisyers, conceded that AI could indeed result in job changes and reductions. However, he emphasised the enduring demand for human input and discretion in the legal field. He argued, “The legal industry is no less immune from the winds of change than any other kind of profession, but this is an attempt to say: ‘We’ve looked at where ChatGPT and the like may be found wanting and we’ve come up with something that’s safer and better.’”

In fact, the introduction of AI to the legal profession could trigger a paradigm shift from billable hours to fixed fees. Lubna Shuja, President of the Law Society, posited that the time efficiencies offered by AI would allow legal professionals to focus on honing their soft skills, as they would remain indispensable even as more generative AI takes root.

Moreover, LexisNexis is staunch in its commitment to responsible technology development and promises continuous human oversight to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias. The company plans to launch a programme providing updates and education about generative AI to all legal professionals, highlighting its proactive approach to integrating AI in a safe and beneficial manner.

LexisNexis, a subsidiary of the FTSE 100-listed media and analytics company Relx, is an industry pioneer. Last month, Relx was the only British company to make it to Bank of America’s list of the top 10 businesses most likely to benefit from AI.

As AI continues to permeate our daily lives and professions, the introduction of Lexis+ marks a significant milestone. It signals a future where AI becomes a common tool that augments human capabilities, empowering professionals to work more efficiently and accurately, while allowing more time for the development of those unique human skills that cannot be replicated by AI. The legal field, it seems, is just the beginning of this transformative journey.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk