Artificial Intelligence (AI) is arguably the greatest technological frontier of the modern world, attracting the attention of academics and businessmen alike for it’s potential to unlock unimaginably powerful new technologies. Although we have yet to see the creation of the world’s first self-conscious machines, which is what true AI ultimately is, society today already makes use of a variety of automated computer programmes in its daily function – Google, Chat GPT, and Siri are examples – which are commonly referred to as AI.
The legal sector, like most now digitised areas of business, is no exception to this new technological development and there are a variety of ways in which the common definition of AI is used within it. For example, many law firms employ practice management systems which help keep track of their lawyers’ work (which is billed on an hourly rate) and can then generate invoices accordingly when needed. Other convenient programmes, like Lexis Nexis and Practical Law which are used by many law firms, have been developed to analyse documents for lawyers and tell them which are most relevant to their case, which saves the time of having to read through them manually. One can even purchase software nowadays that will read through contracts and spot any errors or absent clauses that the human eye may have missed.
Another recent innovation in this technological boom is the AI assistant, which can be engineered to give users basic advice on tap. We are pleased to announce that Grayfords has now developed and implemented its own similar technology to our firm’s infrastructure, called Russell AI, which can be found under the ‘Our Formula’ tab on our website. This new feature is designed to revolutionise how we as a firm interact with visitors on our website, in particular those who may be seeking some initial guidance and information about our legal services.
Russell AI will assist by answering any initial queries that website viewers may have when researching our firm. The programme will take into account any details they submit when interacting or ‘chatting’ with it and then reply with a personalised set of pointers that are tailored to help them understand what next steps they may need to take to begin legally tackling their issue with us. This addition to the Grayfords website forms part of our firm’s ongoing development and commitment to providing our clients with the most cutting-edge services that the legal profession can offer.
Looking ahead, Artificial Intelligence is likely to revolutionise the law sector, as well as almost every other commercial industry, far
more dramatically in future by enabling us to carry out daily work in a faster, more accurate, and cost-effective way. A great example of this kind of progress was recently demonstrated by Allen & Overy, a well-known international commercial law firm, who have now partnered with a powerful AI platform called Harvey. This software is based on GPT-4 (ChatGPT’s successor) and uses natural language processing, machine learning, and data analytics to automate and enhance various aspects of legal work. With generative AI technologies like this already beginning to assist lawyers in their workflow, experts predict ‘game-changing’ improvements will be made to the efficiency of routine tasks like due diligence, contract analysis, and compliance in the coming years.
However, there are certain nuances to solicitors’ work in family law that a machine will never be able to replicate. At Grayfords, we understand how challenging it can be for individuals to face taking legal action in such a personal area of their lives and we make sure to account for not only the practical and financial but also the emotional repercussions of our work. We pride ourselves in being able to offer our clients a carefully tailored service that supports them as comprehensively or as concisely as they need, and we have a wealth of experience in family matters such as divorces, protective injunctions, prenups, wills and probate, and more. Don’t hesitate to book your free consultation today to found out how we can help.