Futurelawyer

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Rick Georges Substack Newsletter. A good friend who subscribes to my SubStack Newsletter said some nice things and offered to pay for access to the FutureLawyer. I have never charged for the blog or other social media; but, it occurred to me that some of you might appreciate being able to have direct contact via email and chat. So, for $8 a month, or $80 a year, you can subscribe to the SubStack Newsletter which will contain all the free stuff I publish, plus some extras, and direct access to me via email and chat. Any question about legal technology, software, poetry, philosophy, or whatever, will get a personal reply. It is scary to put myself out there like this; but, I have never been accused of being a shrinking violet. If you are interested, head on over to Substack, and find Rick Georges. I am there every day. 

ChatGPT For Lawyers - Free Email Course From Ernie Svenson.

One of the best tech educators for lawyers is Ernie Svenson. He has a gift for computer training that will help any solo or small firm lawyer become tech competent. He has a new email course on the current rage, ChatGPT, which is rapidly changing the landscape in the practice of law, and in every other human endeavor. If you want an in depth law focused training, you can't do any better. Thanks, Ernie, for doing the grunt work for the rest of us. 

Lawyer - You Really Need To Learn About Artificial Intelligence.

Let's pretend that you are interested in becoming a more effective lawyer and advocate. You have been reading about ChatGPT, the new generative AI that can answer questions and conduct conversations with humans about any topic. How, you may ask, will AI help me become a better lawyer? 

The legal industry has seen a significant transformation over the past few years, thanks in part to the development and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Among the most influential AI applications is ChatGPT, an advanced language model designed by OpenAI. By providing the legal sector with enhanced productivity, efficiency, and decision-making capabilities, ChatGPT has already begun to revolutionize the industry. I find myself using it every day to answer just about any question that comes up while I practice law.

Legal Research. The first way lawyers are using AI is in researching case law, regulations, and other legal materials. ChatGPT can analyze vast amounts of data in seconds, providing relevant information and precedents to support attorneys in building their cases. The caveat here is that sometimes ChatGPT makes up cases, so its responses must be manually checked for accuracy. If it cites a case, always go to the source and check if it is really a case.

Contract Drafting and Review. Drafting and reviewing contracts are a big part of law practice, and ChatGPT's natural language processing capabilities make these tasks more efficient than ever. By generating draft contracts, identifying inconsistencies, and spotting potential legal issues, ChatGPT can help lawyers produce high-quality, error-free documents in a fraction of the time. Moreover, the AI can recommend modifications to ensure that contracts adhere to relevant laws and regulations, reducing the likelihood of disputes and litigation. I like to use it to do a quick and dirty analysis of any complex contract I come across. By applying my years of experience, and basic knowledge, I can save a lot of time, and often find inconsistencies and problems that I never would have found manually.

Assisting in E-discovery. I am semi-retired, so I don't do contested litigation anymore. But, I can see great benefits in Electronic discovery, or e-discovery, by using AI to analyze and pull data from large discovery data sets. Anyone who has been faced with reviewing thousands of documents will appreciate the productivity gains that AI can provide in reviewing the documents, and searching for key words and concepts. Better results, in less time, and more efficiently, what's not to like? Of course, if you are a new lawyer whose job is to review discovery, you might find that you have to develop other skills in order to remain employed. Law firms will need to find other ways to use new associates. Of course, as a solo, I never had the benefit of large numbers of people to do the grunt work. So, AI will be a great leveler of the playing field for those of us who choose to go it alone.

There are other ways in which AI will change the legal profession. Hopefully, this discussion will propel you to learn more about this life and practice changing new tool. Those who fail to master it will find themselves without a profession.

 

Continuing Legal Education - ChatGPT Will Change Your Law Practice.

ChatGPT Tutorial. This is a 30 minute basic tutorial that you should watch if you want to learn how to use the most powerful new tool for Internet users. It isn't designed for law related applications; but, you will be able to create your own questions after viewing it. Of course, you could just dive in and start playing with it; but, for my readers who are totally uninformed about this new Internet sensation, this is a good way to educate yourself. I already have the site pinned to my Google Chrome bar, and find myself using it every day. Like Google, it becomes second nature to ask it questions. I pay the $20 a month subscription to access the latest version, ChatGPT-4, but ChatGPT-3.5 in the free version works fine. Every lawyer, and every citizen, needs to familiarize themselves with the future of computer and Internet use.

A New Blog By Kevin O'Keefe - AI In Publishing.

AIInPublishing. Kevin O'Keefe, the Godfather of blogging, has a new blog about the use of generative AI in blogging and other professions that deserves attention. Kevin introduced the FutureLawyer to blogging in 2005, and has been a leading light in technology for many years. He has recognized, along with the rest of us who have been around a long time, that ChatGPT from Open AI, and its competitors, including the heavyweights, such as Microsoft and Google and Amazon, that this will be a sea change in the way humans interact with computers and the Internet. In his words:

"AI is a tool, no different than a PC marking the advance from typewriters, which marked the advance from pen and a paper. Perhaps just a more uncomfortable advance."

But, oh, what a tool it is, and will become. The human like responses from a computer interface will change the way we interact with computers; and already is. I have added a step to my computer research in many areas. I am able to judge the responses; just as I would a very smart human colleague. I can amplify, direct, seek additional facts, make corrections, and otherwise act as an author/editor, before I put my final touches on a blog post, or article, or pleading, or list of questions or issues. Publishers of all kinds will find their work enhanced by these very intelligent computer assistants. In future decades, this advance will be looked upon as a natural successor to the beginnings of the creation of an alphabet. I plan to follow Kevin's blog. Will you?

RV Lawyering - The Next FutureLawyer Book Is On The Way.

I am putting the finishing touches on the remote lawyering book, and I hope every one of you buys a copy. Not really. I may just give it away. Not. But, I will share the last paragraph, which should give you an idea of the theme. I discuss, in some detail, many of the gadgets, devices, and software applications that am using these days to be able to be a lawyer wherever I happen to be. Driving around Florida in an RV is a great way to see the beauty of our State in my declining years. I have come a long way from the days of being tied to a desk and a physical office location. 

"The current debate about the use of ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence bots in many industries is no different in general than the debates over the use of technology in law practice that I have lived with since my first computer in the 1980s. Every new development is resisted by lawyers afraid of change, and arguing that the future of lawyers is dim. But, 50 years later, here I am, still going to work every day, and using my experience and judgment to assist other humans with legal problems and tasks. I just do it better than I used to do it, armed with new technology. Dictating into a cassette recording, typing documents on typewriters, using handheld telephones, sending documents over fax machines, creating my own documents on a computer, which keep getting smaller, thinner and lighter, sending documents and pleadings to courthouses over telephone and data lines, and doing research by typing a query into a computer that has access to all of human knowledge; all these are just tools to be used. What is human about us will always be human. Our experiences and abilities can be enhanced by technology. They cannot ever be replaced. Now, get out there and help another human with their legal problems."

 

Pay Attention, Lawyers And Everyone. The AI Wars Have Begun.

Are you paying attention? The AI Wars have leapt into our consciousness this past month, and it will only get messier from here on. AI in a conversational computer is a game changer for Internet search, and the two biggest players, Microsoft and Google, have been duking it out for some time. The real beginnings were in 2017; but, the admission of the rest of us late in 2022, has exploded in the past month. You must get familiar with this stuff. It is already changing the way I use the Internet. I chose ChatGPT, from OpenAI, which has a basic, non judgmental model available for $20 a month, which is already saving me a lot of research time with fact finding and data retrieval. I can take its results, and make it mine, by applying my skills and knowledge and writing ability to its results. Microsoft has incorporated a more advanced version into Bing; but, its model has an attitude problem. According to Microsoft, that is because its language model is more sophisticated; but, I prefer just the facts, Ma'am, and ChatGPT, although it seems to have a left leaning political bent, is working for me so far. Google is late to the game, and its version, awkwardly nicknamed "Bard" is typical of Google. I predict Google will advance quickly, as it has the deepest bench, and has led Internet research for a long time. But, you need to educate yourself, no matter who you are. If you are a lawyer, this is essential knowledge if you intend to practice law in the future. Watch this short video, and then scour everything you can find on generative AI. You heard it here. Now, do something about it.

 

I Asked ChatGPT How It Could Help Me. Here's The Answer.

Chat GPT. Everyone is worried about the implications of AI chatbots; but, my view is that they will enhance the practice of law, and many other professions. I asked ChatGPT how it could help me, as a practicing lawyer, and I got a cogent response that is quite accurate:

"As a language model, I can assist you with various tasks related to language and information. Here are some ways I can help you as a practicing lawyer:

1. Legal research: I can help you find relevant case law, statutes, and legal articles on a specific topic or issue.

2. Writing and drafting: I can assist you in writing legal documents, such as briefs, memos, and contracts, by providing suggestions on sentence structure, grammar, and legal terminology.

3. Proofreading and editing: I can help you proofread and edit your legal documents to ensure they are free of errors, such as spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

4. Fact-checking: I can help you verify the accuracy of the facts and information presented in your legal documents.

5. Translation: If you need to translate legal documents from one language to another, I can provide assistance with translation and suggest appropriate legal terminology.

Please let me know how I can assist you further."

It occurs to me that AI can become a starting point for the things I do as a lawyer. Legal research, drafting documents, fact checking, and translation. It feels like the early days of document and word processing. Create a base document with a computer, and then apply your legal skills to improve it, and make it yours. This is going to save a lot of lawyers a lot of time and effort. But, it won't replace the legal judgment honed from decades of experience with real people. What do you think?

Publishers Aren't Banging Down My Door, So I Will Do It Myself.

Get ready, grasshoppers. My new book, RV Lawyers, The Use Of Technology For Remote Lawyering, is coming. Since nobody seemed to want to publish it, I am doing it myself. It will be a little while; but, I hope some of you are interested. I will keep you up to date on my progress.

Should Lawyers Embrace Or Fear ChatGPT?

Should Lawyers Embrace Or Fear ChatGPT? The latest Legal Rebels podcast, linked to here, considers the meteoric rise of interest in AI Chatbot, ChatGPT, which is a conversational chatbot that seems to be able to provide cogent answers to just about any question, and which some are saying could revolutionize many industries. Of course, in my day, we had Cliff Notes, which summarized books in bite sized pieces that savvy students could use in studying, and writing papers. Chatbots, however, can sound like graduate theses, and are much tougher to identify. For lawyers, what if a client could get their legal answers from a chatbot, and bypass the lawyers? Scary thought, if you're a grunt lawyer. Of course, human lawyers and advocates will always be needed, if only to put a human face on a client's problem. I think these things will be more of a tool for lawyers to do efficient legal research, which can then be used to enhance our ability to represent clients. I have always considered the advances in AI to be an enhancement, and not a replacement. But, the technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, these questions must be asked and answered, and the progress of AI must be closely watched. Enhanced humans might evolve into something we don't want to be.