AI Is Beginning to Change the Business of Law: From Court Backlogs to Custom Legal Tools

AI Is Beginning to Change the Business of Law: From Court Backlogs to Custom Legal Tools

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being adopted across England's legal system, from barristers using ChatGPT to prepare court questions to the government proposing AI for case listing, translation, and court transcripts in the biggest criminal justice overhaul in modern times.

Practical Applications

Barrister Anthony Searle's AI workflow:

• Case preparation: Uses ChatGPT to formulate focused technical questions for surgeons in coroner's inquests
• Medical research: Searches PubMed through Claude for clinical studies and medical journal articles
• Custom tools: Built an AI app for calculating damages in clinical negligence claims using actuarial tables
• No client data: Carefully avoids inputting any client information into AI tools
• Verification: Vets all information and citations produced by AI

Government Plans

The UK government's proposed reforms are the biggest overhaul of the criminal justice system in modern times:

• AI for case listing: Automating court scheduling
• Translation: AI-powered court translation services
• Transcripts: Automated court transcription
• Political backing: Deputy PM David Lammy delivered justice reform speech at a Microsoft AI event
• Minister's view: Courts minister Sarah Sackman called AI pilots "game changing"

The Problem AI Solves

England's justice system faces chronic underfunding:

• Court backlogs: Massive delays in case processing
• Lack of resources: Insufficient funding for trials and investigations
• Expert shortages: Coroners' courts lack independent expert reports
• Efficiency gains: AI helps lawyers work faster with fewer resources

Risks and Concerns

• Hallucination risk: The legal profession is acutely aware of AI generating fake citations
• Buzzword hype: AI has become a marketing buzzword in legal tech
• Incremental change: A profession that's existed for hundreds of years prefers gradual development
• Privacy: Lawyers must be careful about what data enters AI systems

Impact on Legal Practice

• Better questions: Lawyers using AI are asking more technically precise questions
• Expert impressions: Medical experts appear more impressed by AI-assisted lawyers' questions
• Custom tool development: Lawyers building bespoke AI apps for specific legal tasks
• Governance: Chambers developing AI governance strategies for their members

Source: Ars Technica | Serjeants' Inn Chambers | UK Ministry of Justice