In today’s constantly-evolving digital age, lawyers are feeling more stress than ever due to numerous external pressures and increasing workloads. According to Bloomberg Law, burnout among lawyers is at an all-time high with 44% of lawyers feel excessive burnout at their jobs. But there is a potential solution to help ease their burden – incorporating generative AI into their practice. ChatGPT is one such AI platform, that can automate mundane tasks such as agenda-building, consent notices and consultation letters, and help lawyers streamline their day-to-day operations. It can also help with tasks such as legal research and drafting blog posts or social media copy, freeing up lawyers to spend more time on high-priority items.
That said, ChatGPT should not be considered a sole source of legal information and it is important to exercise caution when using it. It is trained on outdated data and laws, and may not be compliant with certain rules. Additionally, it is important to review any materials generated by ChatGPT to make sure they are compliant with state professional conduct rules, such as lawyer advertising.
SMB Law Group is a firm that has incorporated ChatGPT into their practice, capitalizing on the technology’s potential. They are able to use ChatGPT to, among other things, prepare consent notices and consultations with anonymized paperwork, draft initial blog posts that can then be edited, and analyze contracts from a client’s perspective. The two founders of the firm, Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson, are experts in their field, each having worked for notable law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
ChatGPT offers a great leap forward in technology that can help lawyers across the board in many ways and while there are still aspects of the application that need to be addressed, it can still be used in a safe and effective manner if done so correctly. Those who are already taking advantage of generative AI will have a close knowledge on the technology as it continues to evolve, while those in need of more education can successfully apply the technology to help ease their workloads and remain competitive.
