I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Lawyer Overlords
Ready or not, the robot lawyers are coming. Or not. It really depends on who you ask.
I’ve been waiting for the robot uprising to occur for some time now. That’s why I make it a point to be the first person on Twitter to welcome each and every new robot that arrives on the scene. I’m all about hedging my bets, and as a huge fan of sci-fi shows like Battlestar Galactica, I learned a long time ago that it’s better to be on the robots’ good side when they take over the world. Better safe than sorry, I always say!
So it should come as no surprise to learn that, in addition to tracking robots in general, I also make it a point to keep an eye on robot lawyers. After all, I’m a lawyer, legal tech trends are my passion, and the idea of “robot lawyers” tops the list of the latest and greatest legal tech trends. Don’t believe me? Just Google it. Ready or not, the robot lawyers are coming. Or not. It really depends on who you ask.
But that’s a different issue for a different day. What’s really important today is that, as Joe Patrice noted in a recent Above the Law post, robot lawyers, or at least a variation of them, are already here. And, surprise, surprise! They’re having a noticeable effect on our profession and replacing the some of the functions of entry-level lawyers, for better or for worse.
How Transactional Lawyers Can Better Serve (And Maintain) Their Clients
So, if, like me, you’d like to learn all about robot lawyers in order to stay on their good side, then do I ever have a great book for you! It’s called Data-Driven Law: Data Analytics and the New Legal Services, and is edited by Fastcase’s CEO, Ed Walters.
You might be thinking, wait a minute, what’s data analytics got to do with robot lawyers? In short, they’re one and the same. Sure, the term “robot lawyers” sounds a lot more exciting than “data analytics,” but rest assured, when someone mentions data analytics, what they’re really taking about is artificial intelligence.
You know — “AI.” The technology that is, quite literally, the driving force behind, among other things, autonomous cars. Whether you’re aware of it or not, that very same technology is being used in the legal profession as we speak, but is often hidden behind the more mundane and far less exciting phrase, “data analytics.”
And that’s what this book is about: data-driven law. Hence, the title. This book tackles data analytics in law firms from all angles, so whether this is relatively new concept for you or if you’re looking for a deep dive into the intricacies of analyzing and measuring legal data, then this book is for you.
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The introduction, written by Ed Walters, provides a much-needed, broad overview of the ways that data can be used to provide insight and information to help lawyers provide better legal services. In this section, he discusses how insights obtained from analyzing law firm data can be used to address three of the top challenges faced by small-firm lawyers: 1) acquiring new clients, 2) meeting clients demands for more services for less money, and 3) wasting too much time on administrative tasks.
First, he tackles legal marketing. According to Walters, by using “marketing automation tools, targeted discount codes, and customer relations management tools,” small law firms can obtain a better understanding which advertising endeavors are the most effective. Internal law firm data can also be used to ascertain “which clients create the most profitable business for the firm (by) … linking revenues and expenses for different clients, practice areas, and even lawyers at the firm in the firm’s billing system.”
Next, he addresses using data to provide better legal services. After explaining how legal services are becoming commoditized due to market forces and technological advancements, he then encourages law firms to shift to fixed-fee billing for some matters. According to Walters, by tracking and making use of their firm’s internal data, the transition can be a profitable one: “More experienced lawyers and firms may be able to access some of the time and cost information from their practice management or billing software. New lawyers, or lawyers without practice management software, may have to find different means of collecting information from files or other paper sources.”
Finally, he focuses on using law firm data to help lawyers run a more efficient law firm. As Walters explains, by strategically using technology and law practice management tools effectively, firms will be come more streamlined and profitable: “One way to increase the profitability of law firms is simply to work more efficiently – putting tools to use better and finishing more work faster (by) … investing training time and money into learning new tools such as practice management software, (and) smarter legal research tools…”
Other ways Walters suggests data can be used to increase efficiency include “investing in process improvements … such as collecting information about what legal documents the firm creates in a year” and using data to “invest more intelligently in … practice groups, identifying what lines of business show revenue … and profitability growth.”
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The rest of the book includes chapters that cover a variety of topics including: 1) how to mine law firm data to run a more effective law firm (“Data Mining in the Law Firm: Using Internal Expertise to Drive Decision Making,” written by Kumar Jayasuriya), 2) using AI to analyze contracts and provide actionable information (“Deconstructing Contracts: Contract Analytics and Contract Standards,” written by Kingsley Martin), and 3) the use of data analytics in ediscovery (“Quantifying Success: Using Data Science to Measure the Accuracy of Technology-Assisted review in Electronic Discovery,” written by Maura R. Grossman and Gordon V. Cormack). There’s even a very in-depth chapter on the intricacies of the computer programming languages behind AI, written by Stephen Wolfram of Wolfram-Alpha fame: “Computational Law, Symbolic Discourse, and the AI Constitution.”
So if you’re interested in keeping up with the robot lawyer invasion, this book is a great place to start. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a broad overview of how different AI tools will impact the practice of law, or would instead prefer a deep dive into more technical issues.
Rest assured, robot lawyers are no longer fiction. And take it from me and Sarah Connor: it’s best to befriend them if at all possible, or, at very least — be prepared and learn all that you can.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter @nikiblack and she can be reached at niki.black@mycase.com.
