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27 October 2020 / Dr Lance Eliot
Issue: 7908 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Conjuring legal artificial intelligence

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Dr Lance Eliot reveals what AI Machine Learning brings to the table for the practice of law

In brief

  • The emerging use of artificial intelligence for the performance of legal activities.

There is a kind of magic taking place in the practice of law that involves the emerging use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the performance of legal activities. Similar to traditional magic, there is an effect and a set of underlying methods that come to play with the deployment and use of AI. Let’s consider some of the effects’ aspects:

  • When preparing for a complex legal case, you use an AI-powered system to identify precedents from a vast corpus of prior cases and are readily armed with relevant cases that bolster your position.
  • Using an AI-based predictive piece of software, you obtain a prediction of how the judge for an ongoing court matter will likely rule and thus enables you to assess how to best argue your case.
  • Tasked with putting together a complicated contract, you can rapidly assemble
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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