By
now,
generative
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
is
undoubtedly
on
your
radar.
You’ve
heard
about
the
benefits
it
offers
but
have
also
seen
headlines
about
false
case
citations.
You’re
curious
about
its
potential
but
aren’t
sure
how
and
when
to
jump
on
the
bandwagon.
Should
you
adopt
it
soon
or
wait
until
it
matures?
If
you
decide
now
is
the
time,
how
do
you
ensure
ethical
implementation
in
your
law
firm?
Learning
About
Generative
AI
Is
Part
Of
Your
Competence
Obligations
AI
is
advancing
quickly
and
your
ethical
duties
require
you
to
stay
on
top
of
technology
changes
and
make
educated
decisions
about
its
adoption.
Ignorance
is
not
a
shield,
and
compliance
with
competence
obligations
requires
you
to
learn
about
new
tools
like
generative
AI
and
use
them
when
appropriate.
The
challenge
then
becomes
staying
abreast
of
rapid
changes
without
getting
left
behind
and
successfully
implementing
AI
in
your
law
firm
when
the
time
is
right.
The
good
news
is
that
the
path
to
successful
AI
adoption
isn’t
as
difficult
as
it
might
seem.
Step
1:
Familiarize
Yourself
With
Generative
AI
First,
choose
one
or
two
consumer-grade
tools,
such
as
ChatGPT,
Claude,
or
Perplexity,
and
sign
up
for
a
paid
monthly
account.
The
typical
fee
is
approximately
$20
per
month,
and
you
can
cancel
at
any
time.
Paid
accounts
allow
you
to
adjust
the
settings
so
that
your
inputted
data
does
not
train
the
AI
model
—
make
sure
to
do
that
right
away.
Then,
use
the
tool
daily
for
the
next
week
or
two
for
both
professional
and
personal
purposes.
Avoid
entering
any
confidential
or
privileged
information.
Think
of
the
chatbot
as
a
very
intelligent,
accommodating
assistant
who
also
happens
to
be
a
pathological
liar.
Whenever
you
encounter
a
task
that
you
want
to
put
off
because
it’s
too
tedious
or
unpleasant,
consider
whether
generative
AI
can
handle
it
for
you.
More
often
than
not,
it
can.
Whether
it’s
drafting
an
email
to
a
difficult
client,
identifying
how
to
approach
a
challenging
conversation
with
an
employee,
brainstorming
questions
to
ask
for
a
particular
issue
on
voir
dire,
or
determining
a
wine
that
will
go
with
your
meal,
your
chatbot
can
almost
certainly
come
to
the
rescue.
You’ll
be
surprised
at
how
useful
it
can
be
and
how
quickly
it
responds.
But
always
ensure
that
you
review
the
output
for
errors.
Remember
that
its
goal
is
to
be
compliant
and
provide
you
with
helpful
responses,
even
if
it
has
to
make
them
up.
It’s
your
responsibility
to
ensure
the
response
is
accurate
before
you
rely
on
it.
Step
2:
Determine
How
Generative
AI
Can
Benefit
Your
Firm
Once
you’ve
familiarized
yourself
with
generative
AI,
establish
your
objectives
and
determine
how
AI
can
enhance
efficiency
and
productivity.
Evaluate
your
firm’s
daily
operations
and
engage
key
stakeholders
to
identify
the
biggest
challenges.
Pinpoint
areas
in
your
workflows
that
need
improvement.
Key
questions
to
consider:
1.
How
will
generative
AI
integrate
into
your
firm’s
processes?
2.
What
are
your
firm’s
most
significant
challenges?
3.
Which
tasks
consume
the
most
time?
4.
How
can
generative
AI
automate
mundane
and
routine
work?
By
clearly
defining
your
objectives,
you’ll
be
better
equipped
to
select
the
generative
AI
tools
that
best
fit
your
firm’s
needs.
Step
3:
Choose
Legal
Generative
AI
Providers
Start
by
evaluating
legal
providers.
These
software
companies
are
often
the
best
choice
because
they
understand
law
firm
workflows
and
compliance
needs.
Review
the
tools
your
firm
currently
uses,
such
as
software
for
document
management,
law
practice
management,
legal
billing,
e-discovery,
or
contract
analytics.
Enhancing
existing
legal
tools
with
AI
features
can
help
maintain
workflow
consistency
while
minimizing
disruption
and
shortening
onboarding
time.
Consider
whether
current
tools
include
generative
AI
features,
or
if
AI
development
part
of
their
product
roadmap.
Are
there
integrations
with
those
products
that
provide
the
functionality
you
need?
If
your
current
providers
are
enhancing
their
AI
capabilities,
adopting
those
updates
or
integrations
may
be
more
efficient
than
switching
to
a
new
platform.
Key
stakeholders
in
your
firm
should
be
consulted.
Make
sure
their
voices
are
heard
and
give
their
opinions
weight.
They’ll
be
using
generative
AI,
too,
and
keeping
them
involved
ensures
they’ll
be
on
board
during
the
implementation
process.
Lastly,
whenever
possible,
take
advantage
of
free
trials
or
demos
to
assess
usability
and
ensure
the
platform
aligns
with
your
firm’s
needs.
Step
4:
Vet
Legal
Generative
AI
Providers
Once
you’ve
identified
a
product
that
is
a
good
fit,
you’ll
need
to
vet
the
provider,
even
if
it’s
a
tool
your
firm
is
already
using.
When
your
firm
uses
cloud-based
generative
AI
tools,
you
are
entrusting
a
third
party
with
sensitive
client
data.
Ethical
obligations
require
a
thorough
vetting
of
the
provider
about
both
cloud
and
AI
issues,
including
an
assessment
of
data
security
measures,
storage
locations,
access
controls,
and
backup
policies
to
ensure
compliance
with
professional
responsibilities.
You’ll
also
need
to
carefully
evaluate
the
accuracy
of
AI-generated
outputs,
understand
how
user
data
is
protected,
and
determine
whether
queries
are
used
to
train
AI
models.
Here’s
a
list
of
questions
to
ask
providers
that
will
assist
in
vetting
cloud
computing
issues
and
issues
specific
to
AI
adoption.
The
Time
To
Learn
AI
Is
Now
Generative
AI
is
here,
and
its
impact
on
the
legal
profession
is
only
growing.
Keeping
your
head
in
the
sand
and
waiting
for
the
technology
to
“mature”
isn’t
a
strategy,
it’s
a
risk.
Your
ethical
obligations
require
you
to
stay
informed,
and
the
best
way
to
do
that
is
by
engaging
with
AI
tools
now.
Start
small,
experiment,
and
determine
where
AI
fits
into
your
firm’s
workflow.
The
sooner
you
familiarize
yourself
with
its
capabilities
and
limitations,
the
better
positioned
you’ll
be
to
implement
it
effectively
and
ethically.
Technology
is
evolving
rapidly
—
don’t
get
left
behind.
Nicole
Black
is
a
Rochester,
New
York
attorney
and
Director
of
Business
and
Community
Relations
at
MyCase,
web-based
law
practice
management
software.
She’s
been
blogging
since
2005,
has
written
a
weekly
column
for
the
Daily
Record
since
2007,
is
the
author
of
Cloud
Computing
for
Lawyers,
co-authors
Social
Media
for
Lawyers:
the
Next
Frontier,
and
co-authors
Criminal
Law
in
New
York.
She’s
easily
distracted
by
the
potential
of
bright
and
shiny
tech
gadgets,
along
with
good
food
and
wine.
You
can
follow
her
on
Twitter
at
@nikiblack
and
she
can
be
reached
at
[email protected].