How can AI be used in the world of law and which sectors of law will be able to benefit? Today's legal system is converging towards digital practices. Artificial Intelligence, a technology that has already been present in other sectors for several years, is now being embraced by legaltechs working to offer innovative solutions to legal professionals. While some solutions have already emerged, there are still many possibilities for development.
Uses for AI in the world of law: optimised contract management
Preparing and reviewing contracts
Today, contract preparation is a time-consuming activity for legal professionals. Similarly, contract review is a tedious process that requires a high level of concentration to avoid errors. Automating the contract review process is a real time-saver, and minimises human error.
Existing solutions work with human intervention at certain stages of the process, but several startups are currently working on the development of algorithms capable of performing contract review completely autonomously.
Managing contracts
A business is often involved in contractual relationships with numerous players. The greater the number of contracts, the more difficult it is for the people in charge of legal documentation to meet the obligations associated with each contract.
Several legaltechs have identified this problem and are now offering algorithms which, by analysing a set of contracts, can highlight crucial information (such as the expiry date, for example), enabling them to seize negotiation opportunities when the time comes, and so on.
Valuable help for legal research
Once carried out manually in libraries, legal research is now facilitated by digital platforms such as LexisNexis. However, search functions are still limited to keywords. The use of an algorithm capable of understanding the context of a legal document and its nuances beyond simple semantic analysis makes it possible toestablish links between several cases that seemed, at first glance, to be unconnected.
Impact on legal decisions
A decision-making aid
The use of AI in the world of law will enable the statistical analysis of legal decisions, a task that until now has rarely been carried out because it is so time-consuming. The study of case law precedent will be useful for highlighting certain trends in legal rulings, gaining insight into the working habits of judges and, finally, moving towards a degree of harmonisation in the application of the law. Judicial uncertainty would then be reduced, as judges would have access to the decisions of their colleagues when needed.
Predictive justice
Statistical analysis of case law via AI could also offer judges predictive rulings on the cases they handle. More commonly known as "predictive justice", this option would be a considerable time-saver for the profession. However, it is essential that the decision proposed by the algorithm remains optional and not performative, so that the course of justice can continue without being based solely on past decisions.
The prediction of decisions would also constitute a considerable advantage for companies, notably through the prediction of trial results. With this data in hand, the company can decide whether or not to embark on a trial based on the probability of obtaining a favorable legal decision. This could result in considerable savings.
Ex-post controls
All court orders would be analysed by an intelligent algorithm, enabling better control of potential existing biases, and their consistency with the law. The result would be greater legal neutrality, directly benefiting citizens.