Learn 10 practical AI tips for lawyers—from research and writing to client intake and firm management—with AI prompts to boost efficiency, improve workflows, and maintain ethical standards.
Lawyers are using AI to draft outlines, refine briefs, and adjust the tone of client communications more effectively.
From translating consultations to creating intake forms and evaluating potential clients, AI helps firms communicate clearly and qualify cases faster.
Attorneys can leverage AI to summarize meetings, optimize workflows, and even design performance review criteria for their teams.
Tech-savvy lawyers understand the importance of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for law firms. AI offers significant benefits, including unmatched efficiency gains. However, that vast potential can sometimes stop you in your tracks. It’s the classic “choice paralysis” dilemma: With so many options available, how do you know where to start?
One way to move forward when faced with the paradox of choice is to explore how your peers are using AI. Tried-and-tested use cases are a great way to start bridging the gap between AI complacency and proficiency.
Your colleagues are accomplishing many tasks with generative AI in law practice. The latest data from our 2025 Legal Industry Report shows that 46% of legal professionals rely on AI to conduct general research, and 40% draft documents with AI. Another 80% expressed an interest in obtaining insights from matter data with AI, while 75% would like to analyze law firm financial data as well.
If you’d like to learn how AI can assist you with similar tasks, the next step is to turn your curiosity into action. That’s where this blog post series comes in: It offers legal professionals a how-to for putting AI to work in their firms.
These ideas shared come from my recent ABA TECHSHOW presentation with attorney Greg Siskind, 60 AI Generative Use Cases in 60 Minutes.
In each installment of this series, you’ll learn about many different ways that AI can be incorporated into your workflows. In Part 1 of this series, we covered trial preparation and document drafting examples, and this post focuses on research, writing, and law practice management tips. No matter where you are in your AI exploration, you’re sure to find a few suggestions that will streamline your daily tasks and increase your law firm’s productivity.
As always, a quick reminder: Regardless of the tool you choose, it's critical to stay informed about how the technology works and the ethical rules that govern its use. Never input sensitive or confidential client information into consumer-grade platforms, and always carefully verify the accuracy of all AI-generated output.
Use case: Draft outlines to organize legal research and writing.
Prompt: “Create an outline for a memorandum of law addressing the enforceability of non-compete agreements in New York.”
Use case: Enhance the effectiveness and persuasiveness of legal briefs.
Prompt: “Revise this draft legal brief to make the arguments for summary judgment more compelling and persuasive.”
Use case: Use AI to find answers to general questions quickly.
Prompt: “Provide a brief explanation of the process in NYS that is required for traffic sign quality inspections.”
Use case: Adjust the tone of legal communications to suit different recipients or purposes.
Prompt: “Rewrite this email to a client, making the tone more empathetic while maintaining clarity.”
Use case: Facilitate communication with clients who speak different languages.
Prompt: “Translate the following conversation from English to Mandarin during a client consultation on a property dispute.”
Use case: Provide concise summaries of meetings held over video conferencing platforms.
Prompt: “Summarize the key takeaways from the Zoom meeting about the upcoming mediation in the business dispute case.”
Use case: Determine, evaluate, and enhance internal workflows or processes in the firm.
Prompt: “Ask about how we accomplish a process within our firm, provide a list of steps taken, review our firm’s current process for handling case intake, and suggest improvements or streamlining opportunities.”
Use case: Draft custom intake forms to gather information from new clients.
Prompt: “Create an intake form that asks for all necessary legal and personal.
Use case: Assess potential new clients based on their case details.
Prompt: “Evaluate the following details for a potential client to determine if their case qualifies for a personal injury lawsuit.”
Use case: Design structured performance review criteria tailored to different roles within the firm.
Prompt: “Draft performance evaluation criteria for associates focusing on billable hours productivity, legal research quality, client interaction, and case management efficiency.”
Those are just a few ideas to get you started with AI in your law firm. No matter your practice areas, these examples are a great way to dip your toes into AI waters and identify ways it can improve your firm’s workflows and efficiency. Whether you’re seeking to streamline your firm’s intake processes, reduce writing friction, or communicate more clearly with your clients, the examples above are proof that AI can get the job done faster than ever before.
But wait, there’s more! Stay tuned for the final post in this series, where you’ll discover additional ways that AI can increase productivity and profitability by helping you achieve your firm’s human resources and marketing goals.
Curious how legal-specific AI can save you time? Learn more about 8am MyCase and how it can help you summarize documents, translate text, draft messages, and more, right from your workflow.