AI Legal Writing: How Lawyers Can Work Faster Without Sacrificing Accuracy

As part of LMICK’s continued AI series, this month LMICK discusses AI Legal Writing. The American Bar Association recently published an article titled, “AI Legal Writing: How Lawyers Can Work Faster Without Sacrificing Accuracy”. According to the article, AI legal writing tools are transforming how lawyers draft documents, conduct research, and communicate with clients. By leveraging generative AI and large language models (LLMs), these tools can handle routine tasks faster and more accurately—without replacing a lawyer’s expertise.

What is AI Legal Writing?

AI Legal Writing uses LLMs and other AI technology to create, edit, and refine legal content. These tools can draft documents, summarize case law, format citations, and even help with client communication. Unlike general AI, legal-specific tools are designed to follow professional standards and jurisdictional rules.

Benefits of AI Legal Writing Tools

Efficiency: Faster turnaround on drafts and revisions.
Consistency: Maintaining tone, style, and formatting across documents.
Accuracy: Reducing human error in repetitive tasks.
Support for new lawyers: Accelerating learning curves by providing model templates and language.

Risks and Considerations

As Lawyers Mutual has said in previous LMICK Minutes, using AI does have its risks. There are considerations to me made when determining how to use AI. Before using AI for legal writing, there are a few concerns to have on your radar:

Data Privacy: Entering client information into public AI tools like ChatGPT can breach confidentiality.
AI Hallucinations: AI may produce incorrect facts or citations that appear credible.
Bias: Outputs can reflect the biases of their training data.
Jurisdictional errors: Generic tools may not follow local rules or citation formats.

Also, be sure to follow any and all applicable ethics rules! Lawyers must ensure outputs or responses are reviewed, verified, and aligned with professional obligations.

Choosing the Right AI Legal Writing Software

Not all AI tools are built for law firms. When evaluating options, consider:

Legal context awareness
Jurisdiction-specific citation support
Security and confidentiality safeguards
Integration with your existing workflow
Customization features for templates and tone

Leading AI Tools for Legal Writing

There are countless automation and AI tools for writing legal documents available, with more showing up every week. The ABA did its research “so you don’t have to, highlighting the best in both legal-specific and general use.”

Clio Duo: Built into Clio Manage, Clio Duo acts as a secure AI assistant for tasks like summarizing documents, extracting insights, generating client0ready responses, and scheduling follow-ups—without leaving your practice management software.
Clio Draft: While not AI-powered, Clio Draft automates document creation, cutting drafting time by up to 80%. It uses state-specific templates, clause logic, and integrates directly with Microsoft Word.
BriefCatch: An AI editing tool for improving clarity, style, and citation accuracy. It works within Microsoft Word and Outlook.
CoCounsel (Thompson Reuters): A high-end AI assistant for drafting, reviewing, and researching. Strong privacy safeguards, but comes at a higher cost and with longer contracts.
ChatGPT & Microsoft Copilot: General-purpose AI tools that can help brainstorm, outline, and reformat—but they lack legal safeguards and must be used cautiously!

How Lawyers are Using AI in Practice

Contract drafting automation
Internal memo writing
Deposition and transcript summarization
Email generation and client communication drafting
Legal research summaries.
In each case, the lawyer’s role is to verify, edit, and ensure compliance before delivering the work.

Best Practices for Safe AI Use

Always review any AI output, no matter the task
Always be aware of what’s shared with the AI platform
Always stay on top of compliance and best-use standards
Always verify sources and citations from AI

Questions? Contact Jared Burke for more information.