4 Ways AI Tools Can Help Optimize Legal Case Strategy

As the third wave of artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps the globe, the rapidly evolving technology continues to reshape the ways we do business. Law is no exception, as AI’s new paradigm has unlocked a wide range of capabilities for workers across industries. Legal professionals increasingly view AI as making a transformative impact on their work, and many see it as a top firm priority, not to mention a force for good in their industry as a whole.

We don’t need an advanced chatbot to tell us why, either. One generalization we can safely make about legal work is that it involves an overwhelming amount of data, whether in piles of documentation, hours of recorded meetings and interviews, or exhibit after exhibit’s worth of evidence. All that data requires an equally overwhelming amount of time, effort, and mental energy to process and act on.

That’s why AI is having such a game-changing effect on legal practice: It takes much of that hard work off paralegals’ desks and puts it on rails instead, automating the labor-intensive process of sifting through all that data to find key case takeaways. Suddenly, legal pros who adopt AI find they have far more bandwidth to focus on larger questions of case strategy, using their brainpower on those big-picture decisions instead of getting bogged down in details.

But let’s back up a touch. What exactly is legal case strategy, and how can AI help optimize it?

Legal Case Strategy + AI

A legal case strategy is a plan for navigating a legal matter. Constructing such a strategy requires legal teams to answer two key questions: What outcome does our client hope to attain in this case, and how can we reach that outcome?

Though that definition is simple, the analysis and decision-making necessary to arrive at such a strategy are anything but. A precise understanding of the facts comes first, and is the foundation upon which any well-constructed case strategy must be built. From there, attorneys have to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of their case, the relevant questions of law involved, the challenges the opposition may present, and much more to map out the specific actions they must take to ensure the best chance of success.

That’s just the start. As the case plays out and difficulties—foreseen or otherwise—arise, the case strategy may very well change. Attorneys must make the necessary adjustments to adapt to changing conditions, keeping their clients in the loop as this complex process unfolds.

How Can AI Help?

Clearly, building a legal case strategy is no easy feat. But here’s what AI can bring to the table to change that.

1. Predictive Analytics

AI-powered predictive analytics tools can offer data-driven forecasts at various stages in a matter’s life cycle, whether during an initial evaluation of its merits (or lack thereof), or at key turning points in the case, such as deciding whether to pursue a settlement or go to trial.

Such tools use AI to analyze large datasets and detect patterns to help attorneys make more informed strategic decisions. These datasets can include any number of relevant factors, such as judge profiles, attorney and jury behavior, relevant case rulings, and jurisdictional history. 

With the insights of predictive analytics, attorneys can see their case through clear eyes, including what’s likely to be around the next corner, and can structure their strategy accordingly.

2. Contract Redlining

A fundamental building block of many cases, contracts can also present headaches for even the most experienced legal teams. Editing and organizing these often complex documents is an effort that devours bandwidth that could otherwise be spent on shaping strategy. AI tools are uniquely equipped to help attorneys do exactly that, automating and optimizing everything from contract formatting and version control to compliance and risk assessment analyses.

AI-powered platforms can holistically—and quickly—redline contracts, flagging conflicting terms, missing clauses, and compliance issues, and suggesting edits that prevent these mistakes from slipping through. This simplifies attorney workflows and saves them the time and frustration of making repeated passes over these documents. Moreover, it streamlines contract negotiations by keeping all parties aligned on any changes to the contract language.

3. Document Automation

If there’s one widely applicable way in which AI can help boost productivity for legal pros, it’s document automation. By employing AI tools to generate standard legal documents, rather than having staffers craft them from whole cloth, firms can boost their efficiency, saving time and money for high-level legal ideation and strategic decision making.

AI transcription tools like Rev’s VoiceHub can streamline legal workflows, as well, quickly and accurately transcribing client meetings, trial proceedings, and more. These transcripts are scannable, searchable, and shareable, with automated summaries and analysis to assist with document review. That includes deposition summaries, which are especially useful in trial prep.

That’s the other upshot of document automation: AI, with its ever-improving understanding of context and relevance, can make manual document review a thing of the past, further removing time-consuming tedium from a firm’s day-to-day and freeing up hours for legal strategy.

4. Legal Research

To build a strong case strategy, attorneys must leave no stone unturned when it comes to legal research. Unfortunately, this can also be a tremendous drain on a legal professional’s time, and even the most wide-ranging research efforts may miss key pieces of information with a bearing on the case. 

But AI tools can sort through an entire legal library’s worth of material in a fraction of the time it would take even the most experienced attorney. Quick and comprehensive, AI research tools are another way for legal pros to both expand their bandwidth while also optimizing the data that informs their case strategy.

What Other AI Tools Can Help Legal Professionals?

Each day seems to bring about new AI tools for attorneys, with no shortage of offerings in predictive analytics, contract redlining, document automation, and legal research, as well as e-discovery, case management, and more. Legal pros must choose their AI solutions wisely, and they need tools they can trust, with a track record of excellence. 

Take VoiceHub, with its industry-leading ASR technology, 99% transcription accuracy, and HIPAA-, SOC 2 Type II-, GDPR-, and ISO 27001-compliant data security. That’s the kind of AI tool you can rely on to do the heavy lifting while you and your team focus on keeping your case on the right track.

Taking The Leap

Legal AI adoption is not without its challenges, from integrating these tools into existing workflows to overseeing and finetuning their output. But the potential benefits are substantial, and as AI’s role in law continues to grow, so does the importance of making the leap so your firm isn’t left behind.

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