Key takeaways
69% of legal professionals already use AI at work. The question is no longer whether to adopt it, but how to use it without creating new risks.
For correspondence and drafting, your prompt is the product: How you instruct the AI determines whether the output sounds like you or like a bot.
Legal research is a high-risk AI use case: Only trust tools purpose-built for legal work, and verify every citation.
AI assists your judgment; it doesn't replace it. Review every output before it leaves your desk.
If you’re not already experimenting with generative artificial intelligence (AI), you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Why is everyone talking about it, and how are they using it? Do the productivity benefits really outweigh the risks? Is it really going to change the business and practice of law?
The reason you’re hearing so much about it is because most of your colleagues are already using general-purpose AI tools. According to the 8am™ 2026 Legal Industry Report, 69% of the legal professionals surveyed use tools like ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude at work. The top tasks accomplished with general-purpose AI include drafting correspondence (58%), conducting general research (58%, up from 46% in 2025), brainstorming (54%), and summarizing documents (47%, up from 39% in 2025).
They’re also implementing legal-specific AI tools, whether built into software their firms already trust, or standalone tools. Forty-two percent rely on legal AI, with use cases including conducting legal research (58%), creating documents (49%), summarizing documents (47%), and drafting correspondence (43%).
The overlap is notable: Drafting, research, and summarizing show up consistently across both general-purpose and legal-specific tools. If you’re new to AI, those tasks are a great place to start experimenting.
Below, you’ll learn practical ways to apply AI to the top five law firm use cases: Correspondence, general research, legal research, brainstorming, and document creation, summary, and analysis.
Which AI tools should lawyers use?
First, you’ll have to choose the AI tools you’ll be using. Start with trusted legal software to determine if it includes AI functionality that allows you to accomplish your chosen tasks. If not, general-purpose AI tools will suffice as long as you invest in a paid tier after carefully vetting the provider to ensure you understand how your firm’s data will be handled, to ensure it adequately protects your firm’s confidential information, and otherwise comports with your jurisdiction’s ethical rules. Note that no matter the use case, you must always carefully review all AI output to ensure accuracy.
AI tools for legal correspondence
Next, let’s tackle correspondence. AI is a great way to quickly and easily draft client updates, letters to opposing counsel or the court, and internal law firm messages. However, one of the biggest challenges with AI-generated text is that it can have an “uncanny valley” feel to it—when you read it, something just feels off.
That’s where careful prompt creation comes in. Providing the AI tool with clear guidelines for drafting can really make a difference. Here is a sample of what can be added to your correspondence draft request prompt to reduce the obvious tells apparent in AI-created text.
Save the prompt as a text shortcut in your computer's built-in keyboard settings or add it to a note or document from which you can copy and paste it into the query. Another option is to add it to the custom instructions field available in most AI tools, where it will be applied automatically to all writing requests.
AI tools for general research
Next, AI can be very helpful for general research. Whether you’d like to learn about a motor vehicle part relevant to a litigation matter, an expert’s background, or the weather on a specific day, AI chatbots can provide in-depth, accurate information. They’re trained on the entirety of the internet and typically offer relevant results much faster than a Google search.
For legal research, however, you should only rely on AI tools designed for that purpose. There are a number of options to choose from, whether it’s LexisNexis, Westlaw, or newer companies like Descrybe and Midpage. Regardless of the tool you use, understand that AI-generated case summaries and legal analysis should never be taken at face value. Always carefully review cited cases, laws, and regulations to ensure accuracy before submitting briefs to the court, and understand how to vet AI tools for legal practice.
AI tools for brainstorming
AI can also be a great brainstorming partner, helping you think outside the box. For example, when preparing for trial, you can ask for ideas on how to approach a thorny issue during voir dire or cross-examination. Rather than asking AI to draft your full list of questions, have it provide 10 possible questions focused on a specific topic. Another way to use it is to help you prepare for a difficult conversation with a client or employee. You’ll find that it often comes up with ideas or strategies that never would have occurred to you.
AI tools for legal document creation, summarization, and analysis
A final way to leverage AI tools is for document creation, summarization, and analysis. Oftentimes, legal-specific platforms are best suited for working with legal documents because they are designed for those use cases and include safeguards to protect and properly manage confidential information. General-purpose AI tools developed for legal work, such as Claude Legal, Claude Word, and 8am IQ assistants, can also handle many document tasks well, including document summarization and contract drafting and review. Make sure to use your writing prompt when requesting assistance with document drafting, and as with all AI output, verify the document’s content before it leaves your desk.
As you gain experience, you’ll discover even more ways to integrate these tools into your law practice. Test different prompts and platforms to determine which ones produce the best results for your needs. And remember, AI is a tool meant to assist with your judgment, not replace it. With that in mind, start experimenting today to see how these applications can streamline your legal workflows and support your overall goals.
Learn more about how law firms are putting AI to work across legal research, drafting, case management, and day-to-day operations with practical tools designed to support attorneys and staff.