How is AI helping law firm workflows?

Dive into the intricacies of how leading law firms are bringing AI into daily practice

In this episode we consider how generative AI technology is developing and look at how AI products are being embraced by those working at the vanguard of the legal profession. We also examine where scepticism remains among lawyers and their clients, and where human factors will remain critical to delivering results.

Featuring

Caryn Sandler – partner and chief knowledge officer, Gilbert + Tobin.

Catherine Roberts – senior director of AI and legal tech, Thomson Reuters.

Show notes

While the introduction of major new technologies can often lead to anxiety, access to AI in a professional setting at law firm Gilbert + Tobin has been met with enthusiasm.

We speak with Caryn Sandler, a partner and chief knowledge officer at Gilbert + Tobin, and explore the challenges law firms face and the lessons learned from the integration of AI into practice workflows.

“In the medium to long term, we envisage that generative AI is going to transform how aspects of legal services are delivered,” Sandler says.

She walks us through how the firm has approached the integration of AI and how it is working with staff and clients to build confidence in the tools.

“Effective utilisation of generative AI is as much a product of human judgment as it is about technology,” Sandler says.

“You have to engage with the technology now as it’s going to take time to build new capability, build new workflows, and work out how it is going to change legal practice. Immersing yourself is critical now, in my view, rather than waiting for the technology to evolve such that you won’t be able to catch up with it.”

Joining Sandler is Catherine Roberts, the senior director of AI and legal tech at Thomson Reuters. She talks us through the AI skills challenges she has been leading for Thomson Reuters clients and explains how they help bring AI capabilities to life and encourage firms to imagine where these tools will deliver research efficiencies.

“The really smart players are the ones that are getting ahead of this,” Roberts says.

Credits:

The AI & the Law podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia.

Host: Seamus Byrne

Guardian Labs producer: Minsoo Park

Lead commercial editor for Guardian Labs: Nicola Harvey

Sound editor: Seamus Byrne

Unpacking the ethics of AI in the legal industry

As we integrate the power of artificial intelligence into workplaces, the demand for responsible, human-centric processes grows

Every anecdote about errors and embedded biases leads to fears that more AI could lead to less humanity in how society functions. So how do we make AI more human? How do we ensure that the benefits of AI are delivered as an augmentation and not as a replacement?

Featuring:

Carter Cousineau – vice-president of data and model governance, Thomson Reuters.

Artificial intelligence is quickly establishing itself as a powerful research assistant for legal professionals. But as these AI tools enter the market, how are we managing the ethical and cultural dilemmas that arrive alongside them? From the broad societal fears and anxieties AI has raised, to the risks of irresponsible usage, it’s essential to approach AI with a clear sense of what can go wrong.

Carter Cousineau, the vice-president of data and model governance at Thomson Reuters, sees a number of key concerns around AI today. These include fears of privacy loss and digital manipulation, and apprehension around fairness and bias. When it comes to bringing AI into knowledge resources, Cousineau sees governance work as critical to building trusted AI-enabled systems.

“When you’re looking at integrating AI into systems where trusted knowledge and content resources are foundational, governance work is essential,” he says.

“Ensuring AI-driven processes are accountable, transparent and aligned to ethical standards. Responsible AI frameworks and processes help to mitigate and manage AI risks, while improving the integrity and reliability of products for both customers and employees.”

In our conversation, we explore the importance of transparency and interpretability in building trusted AI systems, and consider how Thomson Reuters has been managing its own AI integration work.

Plus, we examine what law firms need to be doing to prepare their data – and their cultures – to take advantage of AI-powered research tools, and offer advice on how to develop processes to improve value and outcomes for clients.

Credits:

The AI and the Law podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia.

Hosted and written by: Seamus Byrne

Guardian Labs producer: Minsoo Park

Guardian Labs lead commercial editor: Nicola Harvey

Sound editor: Seamus Byrne

Key art: Jacob Taylor