Legal AIAugust 12, 2025
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the legal landscape, but with so many tools available (all touting life-changing capabilities, naturally), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. From document summarization to chat-based assistants and data extraction, the promises of AI are myriad. But how do you know which tools are right for your firm?
Whether you're tech-savvy or just beginning to explore what AI can do, here are six essential criteria every legal professional should look for in an AI tool.
Repeat after us: An AI tool is only valuable if it makes your job easier.
Just because it’s new and shiny and promises the world doesn’t mean you’ll benefit from using it. Furthermore, adopting it comes with an opportunity cost. Your time might be better spent evaluating other tools or, (ahem), focusing on your actual work.
This just means taking the time to evaluate AI tools thoroughly before making a decision.
For starters, look for features that reduce manual work. For example:
These aren’t just flashy features; they save real time and increase your firm’s capacity for taking on new cases without adding headcount.
The best legal AI tools help you and your staff get more done without adding stress to your day by enabling you to:
Ask yourself:
Example: A personal injury firm using AI to instantly summarize medical records may free up 5–10 hours per case, enabling them to take on more clients without hiring additional staff.
Key Takeaway: There is no point in adopting an AI tool that solves a problem you don’t have. Choose AI tools that directly save time, reduce manual work, and solve actual workflow challenges, not just ones with flashy features.
You already have a law degree; you shouldn’t need a computer science degree to use AI.
A good legal AI tool should feel intuitive, not intimidating. If using the tool creates more confusion than clarity, it won’t get adopted by your team, full stop.
Look for:
Pro Tip: Avoid generative AI legal tools with a high learning curve, as they’re likely to discourage staff who are already hesitant about adopting new technologies.
The sooner your team sees success with the AI tool, the more likely they are to adopt it and benefit from it.
Example: AI embedded in your case management system (like NeosAI) can generate a client intake summary from notes in just a few clicks.
Key Takeaway: The best legal AI tools for lawyers are intuitive, require minimal training, and allow attorneys and staff to get results with natural language commands and simple clicks.
Your clients’ information is sacred. Your AI tool must treat it that way. You wouldn’t use a case management platform that didn’t promise top-level data security; why should an AI application be any different?
Legal professionals deal with highly sensitive and confidential data, and AI tools must adhere to strict privacy standards. At a minimum, ensure your AI provider offers secure cloud hosting (e.g., Microsoft Azure), encryption of data in transit and at rest, and a zero data retention policy—meaning any data passed through the AI is not stored or reused.
Your AI tool must:
Warning: Avoid generic tools like ChatGPT or CoPilot for sensitive data. They aren’t designed for legal confidentiality.
Pro tip: Ask your vendor if they can share their security certifications or compliance standards (such as SOC 2 or HIPAA, depending on your practice area).
In an ideal world, your AI application should be embedded in your case management platform and follow the same security measures. This keeps your data protected, and as an added bonus, uses only information from your case files, improving output accuracy.
Key Takeaway: Only use AI tools with encryption, zero data retention, and legal-grade compliance certifications to safeguard sensitive client information.
Every legal practice has its own unique way of practicing law. Just like a good case management platform, your AI should adapt to you, not the other way around.
A solid AI tool will expedite your existing successful workflows, without forcing you into clunky workarounds. It should allow for easy integration into your existing case management systems (bonus points if the tool can work natively within your current software instead of forcing you to bounce between platforms!).
Look for:
Avoid rigid tools that require a complete process overhaul just to implement AI. It’s time-consuming and often leads to push back from your staff.
Example: A family law firm integrates AI into its document drafting workflow, automatically populating agreements with case-specific details from its CMS.
Key Takeaway: Select AI tools that adapts to your existing processes, integrates with current systems, and eliminates the need for disruptive workflow changes.
If you can’t verify the output, you can’t trust it. Many legal professionals have been tripped up by AI hallucinations because they didn’t verify the accuracy of the AI’s output.
Legal professionals must be able to audit and validate the results provided by AI, whether it’s a case summary, an extracted data point, or a draft document.
Your AI tool should:
Another benefit of AI embedded in your case management platform is the ability to easily verify results (as long as the tool offers this capability).
Key Takeaway: Always verify AI outputs. Choose tools that let you preview, source-check, and edit results before using them in legal work.
The best AI tools come from companies that listen to customer feedback, evolve to ever-changing legal workflows, and provide timely support. Both AI technology and the legal field are constantly changing; your technology should keep up.
Ask potential vendors:
Your firm deserves more than just a software license! You need a collaborative partner that’s invested in your long-term success.
Key Takeaway: Work with AI vendors who provide responsive support, welcome feedback, and have a legal-specific development roadmap to keep up with evolving needs.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to dramatically improve how legal professionals work if the tool(s) fit your evaluation criteria. Before you commit to any platform, take the time to evaluate how it performs across these six areas: usability, security, practicality, flexibility, transparency, and support.
By choosing wisely, you’ll not only avoid costly missteps—you’ll empower your team to supercharge their productivity, lower their stress, and work each case with greater confidence.
Key Takeaway: By focusing on usability, security, ROI, flexibility, transparency, and support, your firm can choose an AI solution that boosts productivity without compromising quality or compliance.
Schedule a consultation today! Our team can walk you through our best-in-class solution, NeosAI, which was designed specifically for legal professionals.
Q: What should law firms look for in a legal AI tool?
A: Law firms should look for AI tools that save time, protect client data, integrate with existing systems, and are easy for staff to use without extensive training.
Q: Are generic AI tools like ChatGPT safe for legal work?
A: No. Generic AI tools that are not built for legal professionals may lack the security measures needed to protect confidential client data. Always choose tools with encryption, zero data retention, and compliance certifications.
Q: How can legal AI improve ROI for a law firm?
A: Legal AI improves ROI by automating repetitive tasks like document drafting, data entry, and case summarization, freeing up attorneys to focus on billable work and increasing the number of cases handled.
Q: What is “zero data retention” in legal AI tools?
A: Zero data retention means the AI provider does not store or reuse any client data processed through the tool, ensuring maximum privacy and compliance with legal standards.
Q: How can I verify AI-generated legal content is accurate?
A: Choose AI tools that allow you to preview results, highlight sources, and edit outputs before finalizing them, ensuring the information is correct and defensible.
Q: Do legal AI tools replace attorneys?
A: No. Legal AI tools are designed to assist attorneys by streamlining routine tasks, not replace the expertise, judgment, and strategy that legal professionals provide.
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Legal AI
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the legal landscape, but with so many tools available (all touting life-changing capabilities, naturally), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. From document summarization to chat-based assistants and data extraction, the promises of AI are myriad. But how do you know which tools are right for your firm?
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