What Is a Legal Robot?
Legal robots are defined as "Artificial Intelligence programs that automate transactional, repetitive and admin-intensive tasks that were previously done by human lawyers." This relatively new technology is designed to perform specific tasks in legal work which are routine in most practices; this includes the generation of legal documents, contracts and other forms. In addition to automating processes, legal bots can help with data collection, analysis and can even conduct searches through electronic databases.
The technology behind these automated assistants is not inherently complicated as it relies on a combination of natural language processing ("NLP"), process mapping and logic rules . A legal robot’s functionality typically includes the ability to: Detect the need for certain data from a user; Match the user’s profile with existing profiles stored in the database; Extract data from documents; Store the data in the relevant fields and generate the responsive documents.
Although this technology is still in its infancy, more and more firms are adopting the use of legal robots because of their efficiency, which allows employees to focus their time and effort on complex matters, rather than spending any time on straight forward tasks. Firms are already beginning to see return on investment from having legal bots be used in place of paralegals, law clerks and junior lawyers, (if not also fully licensed lawyers), according to numerous studies.
The Advantages of Legal Robots
Legal robots have more benefits than efficiency alone. They can also be more cost-effective and can increase access to justice by making affordable legal services available to more people. By taking over a number of monotonous tasks, legal robots have made more time available for attorneys to handle complex matters that require human implementation and creativity.
Among the primary benefits of legal robots is the ability to perform a high volume number of tasks quicker and more efficiently than human beings. For instance, legal robots may draft contracts, respond to legal filings, conduct extensive legal research, organize data and documents, and assist attorneys in preparing for trials.
One example of a legal robot performing tasks more efficiently is ROSS, an artificial intelligence program developed to answer questions about the law, provide citations and find information in cases that human attorneys may have overlooked. According to reports, ROSS is faster and more accurate than human paralegals and law professors when asked to complete the same task.
Challenges and Restrictions
The adoption of legal robots is not without its challenges and limitations. One of the most notable is the potential displacement of human lawyers from their jobs. Legal robots have the ability to conduct research, draft and review contracts, and even handle some aspects of legal arguments in court. As such, many fear that their jobs will be replaced by these intelligent machines.
However, while these legal robots can perform a number of tasks with a high degree of success, they still lack the ability to perform more complex legal tasks that require natural human intuition, emotional intelligence and empathy. For example, while robots present a great opportunity to revise and streamline TFN’s existing written materials, their lack of social understanding poses a significant risk for several tasks. While the use of legal robots continues to grow, many are still skeptical about their utility in complex legal matters. In particular, legal cases that rely on subtle, context-based tools for argument and persuasion require human judgement as opposed to machine learning or other cognitive processes.
There are further concerns about the ways in which legal robots fail to protect privacy and confidentiality. For example, if a robot containing sensitive information were to be hacked, how would the confidentiality of that information be protected? As it stands, there is no established framework governing issues of liability, including how liability for contracts and torts might, or should, attach to a legal robot.
More generally, further questions remain about the legal status of legal robots. Due to their evolving nature, there is no defined legal position on what constitutes a legal robot. For example, under what circumstances is a legal robot authorized to provide legal advice, if at all? In addition to these concerns, there is also the potential of legal robots normalizing the idea that everything can be done "better" by a legal robot rather than a human – but without any basis to measure the opposing benefits and drawbacks. There has also been discussion of a more commercial phenomenon – will people actually pay for the services provided by legal robots, given that they are programmed to be free, or at a fraction of the price of human lawyers? This concern ultimately hinges on the supreme failure of a legal robot to fully replace the human lawyer. In addition to these concerning issues on the individual level, the increasing prevalence of legal robots may have a wider societal impact by promoting a sense of alienation from the law.
How Legal Robots are Disrupting Law Firms
The introduction of legal robots in the marketplace is forcing law firms to adapt their workflows and staff to better serve their clients. By utilizing technology, firms enhance their previously human-centered services to provide clients with more efficient service. But how does this affect workflow, staffing, and client communication? How do law firms make that jump from a traditional law firm to a modern, tech-savvy corporation? And what about the ever-growing concern that robots will take over all aspects of a law firm – from workflow to staffing? As reporting on the introduction of robots continues in the media, a recent article from Crain’s New York tells the story of how a New York City law firm has mastered the process of integrating new technology into its services. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has placed a strong emphasis on how technology, specifically robots "can tackle big data ‘faster, cheaper, and more effectively than humans." Not only has this helped the firm cut down on its operating costs, but the introduction of these new services are helping them to stand out from the competition. In order to provide its clients with superior legal services, the firm has adapted "intelligent workflow and digital information modeling" for some of its most time-consuming processes. The use of robots helped to streamline the tedious process of "borrowing and lending from between multiple parties" by management staff, allowing them to avoid having to handle the same information over and over again. The firm is also in the process of developing a chatbot that it plans to roll out in 2018. The bot will be used for loan documentation and is hoped to be a game-changer in how this task is managed. In addition to lowering costs and making the process less tedious for lawyers, the firm sees this as an opportunity to "allow young associates to spend their time thinking about the bigger picture," rather than mindless tasks . The introduction of robots has not cut any jobs, but actually led to the firing of those who weren’t onboard with the challenge of adapting to the new technology. Even more so now, it would seem, than in the past, adaptability is the name of the game when it comes to running a law firm. This is not the only firm in the area that has embraced the technological changes that are sweeping the industry. Baker McKenzie has offices in almost every continent of the world, and specializes in international finance. Now equipped with its own in-house technology team, Baker McKenzie is not only providing its clients with integrated services and a unified platform, it is expanding the firm’s internal operations as well. In the past six months, the team has released four new products designed to help firms run more efficiently, ranging from risk management to reviewing contracts. Using the firm’s collaborative culture and calling upon its legal and technical expertise, the team was able to develop new technology that bolsters the firm’s value to its clients. International legal firm, Clyde & Co, is also experiencing the changes associated with adapting a more technological legal practice. Engaged in many aspects of business, including litigation, insurance claims, re-insurance, and policy wordings, the firm is preparing itself to introduce robots in its strategic plan for the coming year. They intend to improve productivity internally and aim to alleviate some of the pressure off of junior lawyers by using robots for time-consuming tasks. They also plan to implement "predictive analytical tools" which will help in the development of predictions about future cases, which has the potential to be immensely beneficial for their clients. The introduction of new technology, including legal robots, is revolutionizing the workplace and is seen as the next step in where the legal field is headed.
The Future of Legal Robots
As we look to the future, the role of legal robots is likely to expand even further than it is now. With ongoing innovations in artificial intelligence and a growing emphasis on the use of technology in the legal field, we can expect to see an even greater transformation of how legal professionals perform their work.
Automation will continue to play a large role in law firms of all sizes. More and more law firms will invest in technology to improve their efficiency, reduce administrative work and decrease costs. As this occurs, legal robot solutions are likely to become more common. Companies specializing in law firm staffing may offer contracting or staffing opportunities for legal robots, just as they have done with human employees. Lawyers will increasingly contract their work out to legal robots, particularly for low-level tasks that can be automated. At the same time, they will spend more of their time directly serving clients—negotiating, analyzing the law, providing counsel and communicating.
Simply taking over clerical jobs isn’t the only role robots will play in the future of the legal industry. Robots will also make large-scale, multi-jurisdictional deals much more feasible. Complex mergers and acquisitions currently involve lawyers from a number of countries, often pouring years into the deal and racking up millions of dollars in fees. Using legal robots to carry out many portions of those similar tasks will allow for drastically reduced workloads for attorneys—and will require businesses to pay reduced fees .
Advancements in AI will also allow for far more administrative tasks to be completed by robots, their work becoming indistinguishable from that of human paralegals. Discovery, document review, and document drafting will all likely be performed by computers rather than humans. The result will be increased efficiency, but it could also lead to the elimination of paralegal jobs altogether.
For some, the idea of a world in which robots govern the practice of law, performing most of the currently human tasks and doing most of the analysis and data-crunching, is a scary one. A 2017 study states that "most lawyers and legal professionals (90 percent) are fearful that robots will take their jobs," while 70 percent are also worried that robots will take control away from human lawyers. Their fears may be well-founded, and the potential impact of this new technology on legal employment will need to be considered. On the other hand, both lawyers and paralegals will have a clear opportunity to transform and adapt their skill sets and their approach to the profession.
The bottom line is that the rise of the robot legal assistant isn’t just the latest development in law; it’s the beginning of a major disruption to how the profession operates and its very terms of existence. Legal professionals will have to adapt to the new landscape, bringing a broader and more technology-oriented skill set to the table as well as a renewed focus on client-facing skills. Some legal professionals will not make it into the future of the legal profession. But we can guarantee that the future will be here sooner rather than later.
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