AI Tools for Lawyers: Work Smarter, Bill More
85% of lawyers now use AI tools daily. If you're not using AI, you're competing against lawyers who are. Here's how to use AI effectively while maintaining ethics and confidentiality.
The AI Tools Transforming Legal Work
Legal Research
What AI does: Searches case law, statutes, and secondary sources faster than human researchers. Summarizes relevant holdings and identifies key precedents.
Top tools:
- CoCounsel (by Casetext/Thomson Reuters)
- Harvey
- Westlaw Edge AI features
- Lexis+ AI
How to use effectively:
- Use AI for initial research, then verify citations
- Ask AI to find opposing arguments and weaknesses
- Never cite a case without reading it yourself
- AI occasionally hallucinates citations - always verify
Contract Review and Drafting
What AI does: Analyzes contracts for risks, extracts key terms, suggests edits, and drafts from templates.
Top tools:
- Kira
- Luminance
- Ironclad
- Spellbook
How to use effectively:
- AI handles first-pass review, you handle judgment calls
- Use AI to ensure consistency across documents
- Let AI draft routine agreements, you customize for client needs
- Always review AI output for context-specific issues
E-Discovery
What AI does: Reviews thousands of documents, identifies relevant materials, and reduces human review time by 70-90%.
Top tools:
- Relativity
- Logikcull
- Everlaw
- DISCO
How to use effectively:
- AI for initial culling and categorization
- Human review for privileged and hot documents
- Use AI to find patterns across large document sets
- Train AI on matter-specific relevance criteria
Use our [Will AI Replace Lawyers](/tools/will-ai-replace-lawyers) tool to understand how AI affects your specific practice area.
Ethics and Confidentiality
The Rules
Bar associations are clear: AI use is permitted, but you must:
- Maintain competence: Understand how AI tools work and their limitations
- Protect confidentiality: Never input confidential client data into unsecured AI
- Supervise output: You're responsible for all work product, AI-generated or not
- Disclose when required: Some jurisdictions require disclosure of AI use
Protecting Client Data
Do:
- Use enterprise AI tools with proper data agreements
- Anonymize client information when possible
- Use firm-approved tools only
- Check your state bar's AI ethics opinions
Don't:
- Input confidential information into consumer ChatGPT
- Share client documents with AI tools without data protections
- Rely on AI output without verification
- Assume AI tools are automatically compliant
The Billing Question
Can you bill for AI time? The consensus:
- Bill for the value delivered, not time spent
- AI makes you more efficient - clients benefit from lower costs
- Don't bill for AI tool subscription fees as disbursements
- Be transparent about your use of technology
Practice Area Applications
Litigation
- Legal research for briefs and motions
- Discovery document review
- Deposition preparation and analysis
- Trial preparation and exhibit organization
- Predictive analytics for case outcomes
Transactional
- Due diligence review
- Contract drafting and negotiation
- Regulatory compliance checking
- Deal document management
- M&A target analysis
General Practice
- Client intake and conflict checking
- Document automation
- Legal writing assistance
- Time tracking and billing
- Client communication
The Competitive Reality
The legal market is splitting:
Lawyers using AI:
- Handle more matters with same resources
- Deliver faster turnaround
- Offer competitive pricing
- Focus time on high-value strategic work
Lawyers avoiding AI:
- Compete on price alone
- Slower delivery
- Less capacity
- More time on routine tasks
The winners aren't being replaced by AI - they're using AI to outcompete others.
Getting Started
This Week
- Try ChatGPT or Claude for a non-confidential research question
- Explore what AI tools your firm already has
- Read your state bar's AI ethics opinions
This Month
- Identify one repetitive task AI could help with
- Request training on available AI tools
- Experiment with AI for drafting (internal documents first)
This Quarter
- Develop a personal AI workflow
- Track time savings and efficiency gains
- Share best practices with colleagues
The Bottom Line
AI won't replace lawyers who use AI. The legal profession is transforming, and the lawyers who thrive will be those who leverage AI for routine work while focusing on what clients actually pay for: judgment, strategy, and advocacy.
Your expertise isn't typing documents - it's knowing what the documents should say. AI handles the typing faster. You handle the thinking.
Use our [AI Job Impact Analyzer](/tools/ai-job-impact-analyzer) to get specific recommendations for your legal practice.
Will AI Replace Lawyers?
Understand how AI is transforming legal work. Get an honest assessment of which legal tasks are vulnerable and how lawyers can adapt.
Use Tool →Frequently Asked Questions
Keep Reading
The Complete Guide to AI and Your Career in 2025
Will AI take your job? The honest answer, which jobs are most at risk, and exactly how to future-proof your career in the age of artificial intelligence.
Will AI Replace Accountants? Here's the Truth
AI won't fully replace accountants, but it's transforming the profession. Learn which tasks are being automated, which skills are becoming more valuable, and how to future-proof your accounting career.
Will AI Replace Graphic Designers? Here's What's Actually Happening
AI image generators are transforming design, but they're not replacing graphic designers. Here's what's changing, which roles are affected, and how to future-proof your design career.