It's easy to be down on AI.
It's easy to be down on AI. AI has certainly had a negative impact on the practice of law. At this point, I expect every lawyer has gotten the 300-question client email that is clearly AI-generated, asking questions that don't make sense based on law that doesn't apply. But I've also been able to use AI in my practice to increase my productivity and serve my clients better.
Dictation software and tools are probably the best example of this. When I was an associate fresh out of law school, I remember some attorneys would dictate their memos and have their secretary type it up. I typed all my own memos and thought that I was being more efficient. In reality, I spent way more time typing up a first draft then they spent dictating it. Then I still had to edit the draft into something camera-ready.
Now, I use Wispr Flow and my Plaud Note to dictate everything from demand letters to discovery requests (no secretary needed). Plaud is especially useful, since it allows me to create prompts that automatically process my dictation transcript into useful, edit-ready drafts. Driving home from a deposition, I can put my Plaud Note on the dashboard and talk out loud in my car. By the time I get back to the office, the first draft of whatever I need is sitting in my inbox. The best part is that the output is entirely my words, just cleaned up. There are not substantive changes by the AI. And with a little creative prompt engineering, I've even been able to have the AI accurately transcribe case citations (not hallucinated cases, either, but real ones that I dictate).
What are some ways that AI is improving your experience practicing law?