✓ Humans still do this better
Client interviews and taking instructions
Extracting nuanced, often emotionally charged instructions from clients — especially in family law, crime, or personal injury matters — requires human empathy and legal judgment.
Court attendance and advocacy
Hearings, magistrates courts, and in-person proceedings are still legally required to have human representation in most jurisdictions.
Complex litigation strategy
Decision-making on case tactics, witness handling, and settlement negotiations involves contextual judgment and professional accountability AI cannot carry.
Novel legal interpretation
Applying existing law to genuinely novel fact patterns — especially in technology, AI regulation, or new case law — requires qualified legal reasoning and professional accountability.
⚡ AI does this now
Already automated
Contract drafting and first-draft documents
Tools: Harvey AI, Lexis+ AI, Contract Express
Already automated
Legal research and case law retrieval
Tools: Harvey AI, Westlaw Edge AI, Lexis+ AI
Already automated
e-Discovery and document review
Tools: Relativity AI, Luminance, DISCO
Already automated
Lease abstraction and due diligence review
Tools: Luminance, Kira Systems, Litera
Rapidly automating
Compliance monitoring and regulatory tracking
Tools: ComplyAdvantage, Regulatory DataCorp
Rapidly automating
Billing and time recording
Tools: Clio AI, NetDocuments, iManage