In this article, we’ll dive into the three questions your law firm should consider before adopting AI solutions. These insights will help you maximize your ROI on legal AI and protect your clients, team, and business.
They say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry. That’s because, without a grocery list and a meal plan, chances are your eyes will be bigger than your stomach—and you’ll be left with random snacks in place of your weekly meals.
The same is true for technology investments, like AI. The same way that s’mores ice cream and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets sound perfectly substantial when you’re starving— any old AI solution promising “productivity” can feel like a miracle solution when facing understaffing, productivity losses, or overwhelm in your law firm’s operations.
Before you invest in-- or even begin researching--AI solutions for law firms, you should clearly define your goals and intended outcomes. These goals and expectations should be specific and connected to greater business goals.
Some examples include:
Think of AI like an exotic plant—you can’t simply fill a bucket with dirt from your yard and hope for the plant to bloom and thrive. Nor can you bake a cake in a toaster oven, or put all-weather truck tires on a bicycle... you get the idea.
In order for your AI solution to truly demonstrate ROI and reap the most benefits, it needs an up-to-date and modern technology environment to thrive in. Chances are, if your law firm is like many, you may be overdue for a tech upgrade. AI is certainly not a good first step to this process—in fact, it may need to be the very last item on a list of upgrades, or else you risk wasting the investment.
AI requires modern technology infrastructure in order to work properly. This can include:
AI requires modern, secure, and properly managed infrastructure in order to perform at its best. If your law firm is behind on technology modernization, consider investing first in overall improvements and updates before diving into AI adoption.
While AI has shown much promise for increasing the productivity of legal teams around the world, it has also become a point of increased risk. Improper use of AI can lead to serious security issues, including:
Inputting client information into AI solutions and tools can be especially risky, as many of these tools lack the level of security necessary to protect client data, and can even be tricked by bad actors into revealing the information it stores from human inputs.
Proper cybersecurity relies broadly on three categories: people, processes, and technology. To keep your law firm and clients safe while using AI, address these areas and uncover gaps across all three categories for maximum protection. Examples of each include:
It may be tempting to go all in on an AI investment due to promises of productivity, pressure from the industry at large, or a desire to be an innovator in the legal industry among competitors.
But, these investments only flourish under the right conditions—with specific intents and business cases, a strong technology infrastructure, and cybersecurity provisions that protect from the increased risk AI brings about.
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As SOC 2 Type II compliant organization for over 5 years, Strategic Technology Solutions possesses the understanding, knowledge, and experience to guide law firms through AI adoption with strategic roadmapping and adherence to regulatory and industry-specific standards.