The practice of law has evolved significantly over the last decade. Among other forces, the legal industry continues to be disrupted by the influx of new technology, new attorney arrangements (reduced hours, remote law firms, etc.), and the evolving trend of nonlawyers providing legal services traditionally delivered by law firms. Staying on top of these developments is no longer enough to “future proof” your practice or your firm. It is imperative to look forward to avoid falling behind.

Today’s Disruptive Forces

One of the most significant changes to the legal industry over the last decade has been the constantly improving advancements in legal technology. Perhaps no category of advancements has been, or will likely continue to be, more important than artificial intelligence-enabled tools. Artificial intelligence (AI), stated very simply, involves machines performing tasks that  historically required human intelligence. There are many subfields or types of AI that solve complex problems historically associated with human intelligence or interacting with the world. The branch of AI most commonly involved in legal technology (currently, at least) is machine learning. There are various subtypes of machine learning, but the methods have the same basic purpose and process—they use data fed into a computer algorithm or system and the data is then used by the algorithm to extra insights, patterns and relationships that can be used to make decisions.