Legal research
AI research tools from legal publishers and start-ups connect a language model to case law, legislation and secondary sources. You ask a question in plain words and get an answer with citations. Used well, they speed up the first hour of research: orienting, finding leading authorities and spotting issues.
Rules for research tools:
- Use legal research tools, not general chatbots, for law. General chatbots are more likely to invent authorities.
- Click every citation. Read the passage relied on; check it is still good law.
- State jurisdiction and date in the question.
- Treat the answer as a research memo from a new junior: useful, not final.
Summarization
Summarization is the most common legal AI use. It works for long contracts, transcripts, regulatory consultations, board papers and email chains. Good practice: ask for a structured summary (parties, obligations, dates, risks), ask the tool to quote the key passages, and spot-check against the original.
Transcription
Transcribing calls, interviews and meetings is now routine (53% of general counsel in The General Counsel Report 2026). Legal questions come with it: consent to record, where audio and transcripts are stored, whether transcripts of legal advice are privileged and who can access them, and retention.
Internal knowledge Q&A
Many teams build a Q&A assistant over their own policies, templates and past advice. This can answer routine business questions ("Can I sign this NDA?") and route the rest to a lawyer. It needs current, well-organized source material and clear limits on what it answers.