Law firms have the brains, the data and the discipline to lead in the age of generative AI. Yet most practices are only beginning to discover what’s possible, said Justin Antonipillai, founder and CEO of Stewardshipped.ai and a former law firm partner.
Antonipillai believes the legal field’s decades of data, appreciation for nuanced expertise
and culture of continuous learning has positioned firms to achieve untapped success with the use of generative AI.
While “most firms don’t realize they’re sitting on gold mines of institutional knowledge,” he said, those that experiment with generative AI will “realize that your firm’s proprietary work product can be transformed into intelligent systems that learn from your best legal minds.”
Antonipillai will discuss how attorneys can harness emerging technology to drive firm profitability, marketing innovation and competitive advantage in his keynote at the Tech West x Southwest (TW x SW) Conference in Denver Oct. 27 to 29. This is the second year the Legal Marketing Association Southwest and Legal Marketing Association Tech West regional conferences have been combined.
Generative AI for ‘Mind-Blowing’ Insights
Generative AI differs from the historical machine learning of the early 2020s. Antonipillai explained, “Historical machine learning required structured data: spreadsheets, databases, clean numerical inputs. Generative AI is completely different. It works with unstructured narrative text. That means all the data attorneys already have — the decades of memos, emails, case analyses, client advice buried in your files — is suddenly enormously valuable.”
Acknowledging that generative AI’s unpredictability “drives many lawyers crazy,” Antonipillai said, “Here’s the paradox: Once you understand how to minimize hallucinations and work with this nondeterministic nature, AI starts producing insights that can be truly mind-blowing. It finds patterns and connections that deterministic software, and often humans, simply miss.”
Nonetheless, said Jasmine Trillos-Decarie, co-chair of the TX x SW Conference, “AI won’t replace the human side of law. It can’t replicate empathy, strategy or trust. What it can do is make us more efficient, more creative and maybe even more human in the way we serve clients.”
Advantages of AI for Legal Firms
One of the clearest benefits of generative AI is the capability to “get to insights faster,” Trillos-Decarie said. “In research, it can summarize complex material and surface relevant cases in seconds. For contract review, it can identify patterns or issues that might otherwise take hours. In litigation, it assists with e-discovery and data organization.”
Put simply, a responsible adoption of AI can equip attorneys to increase their efficiency and output. Some legal teams have seen an uptick in clients asking how firms use technology to deliver value. Trillos-Decarie said, “It’s important for firms to develop clear internal messaging and external communications about their approach, how they vet tools, train teams and maintain client confidentiality.”
She added, “The firms that will thrive are the ones that view AI not just as a technology shift but as a cultural one rooted in curiosity, integrity and communication.”
AI as a Tool, with Risks
However, even AI at its best “is just a tool,” Trillos-Decarie said. What provides meaning and, ultimately, client value is the expertise of the lawyer within the context of the attorney-client relationship.
The risks associated with AI increase for those less familiar with generative technology, which is why Antonipillai advises lawyers to educate themselves “now.” As with all technology, users are encouraged to prioritize data security, maintain confidentiality and verify accuracy. “You can’t just trust the machine,” Trillos-Decarie said.
Another risk of integrating law, marketing and AI is “moving too fast without understanding the business need you are trying to address or how these tools fit into the firm’s broader strategy, brand or ethical obligations,” Trillos-Decarie said. “The winners will be those who adopt these technologies strategically and with clear policies and human oversight.”
A Patchwork of Regulations
For legal practices, Antonipillai’s primary concern is the patchwork of regulations cropping up nationwide. “Different jurisdictions are trying to regulate AI use in inconsistent ways, and while they’re raising important principles — particularly that lawyers must remain fundamentally responsible for their work — some of these rules are actually impeding law firms’ ability to fully leverage AI to help clients,” he said.
Restrictions around how or if a firm can bill for AI-assisted work present challenges as well. Restrictions are “creating barriers that prevent firms from passing efficiency gains to clients or investing properly in these technologies,” Antonipillai said.
The most serious barrier to using AI in law is fragmentation, according to Antonipillai. As states and countries rush to legislate AI management, “you’re dealing with a patchwork of 50 to 60 different country-specific laws governing AI in consumer settings,” he said.
Colorado is hammering out AI policies in real time. On Oct. 15, Gov. Jared Polis convened a working group to rewrite the state’s AI regulations, following an 18-month conflict over existing legislation, which has not yet been implemented. In his convening letter, Polis asked the group to prioritize “evidence-based policy solutions that mitigate bias, avoid ambiguity, facilitate innovation and economic growth and align with national standards and best practices.”
Antonipillai hopes for a nationally synchronized solution. He said, “We desperately need more coordination and harmonization, both among state bars regulating attorneys and among legislatures regulating AI deployment.”
Registration remains open for the conference.