October 2025, Part 2, Top 5 Takeaways:
Diversify Your Tools and Vendors: Don’t rely on a single AI tool or vendor. The legal tech landscape is rapidly evolving, and tools may change, merge, or disappear. Build flexibility into your workflows and always have a backup plan.
Connect the Business and Substantive Sides of Law: The most valuable legal tech solutions will be those that integrate business operations (like client management) with substantive legal analysis. Tools that can bridge this gap—such as integrating case data with AI-powered legal research—offer a unique competitive advantage.
Ethics and Data Security Require Active Engagement: Lawyers must take personal responsibility for understanding the contracts, security certifications, and data governance policies of their AI providers. Trust should be based on clear terms of service and certifications, not assumptions.
Competence and Verification Are Essential: Many issues attributed to “AI ethics” are actually failures of basic legal competence—such as submitting hallucinated or incorrect case law. Lawyers must verify AI outputs, use the right tools for the job, and treat AI as an assistant, not an infallible authority.
Experiment, Learn, and Adapt: The panel encourages a scientific, experimental approach to AI adoption. Try new tools, document your results, and learn from both successes and failures. AI can dramatically improve efficiency, but only if used thoughtfully and with ongoing learning.
