(9) Legal AI Live, July 2025, Part 1

July 2025, Part 1, Top 5 Takeaways:

1. AI Adoption in Legal Practice Is Rapid and Diverse
   Legal professionals are integrating AI into their daily workflows for tasks ranging from document review and summarization to ideation and content creation. Tools like Perplexity, Gemini, and NotebookLM are being used for both legal and non-legal tasks, demonstrating the versatility and growing reliance on AI in the legal field.

2. AI Is Best Used for Ideation and Efficiency, Not Final Work Product
   Multiple speakers emphasized that while AI is excellent for brainstorming, speeding up repetitive tasks, and providing step-by-step instructions, it should not be relied upon for producing final legal documents or work product without human review and quality control.

3. Community Learning and Iterative Education Are Essential
   Traditional continuing legal education (CLE) models are insufficient for the fast pace of AI development. Events like teach-ins, live demos, and ongoing office hours are more effective for helping lawyers stay current and learn practical applications of AI.

4. Ethical and Security Considerations Remain Critical
   Lawyers must be cautious about client confidentiality and data security when using AI tools, especially free or consumer-grade versions. Using enterprise accounts and obtaining client consent are recommended best practices.

5. AI Tools Are Transforming Legal Operations and Client Service
   AI is not just for legal research or drafting; it’s being used to streamline internal processes, onboard staff, and improve client service. For example, NotebookLM is leveraged to create searchable knowledge bases for HR and training, making information more accessible and reducing interruptions to billable work.