Artificial Intelligence And The Law

• Published date: 18 September 2023
• Subject Matter: Technology, New Technology
• Law Firm: Appleby
• Author: Ms Sharmilla Bhima

At a time when the implementation of Artificial Intelligence into the professional environment, it is not difficult to predict that the implementation of AI into the running of a law firm will soon become a reality - 'the key [is to choose] the right area' 'of the practice. Indeed, a law firm which practices corporate and commercial as opposed to criminal law has significant benefits and potential for growth by using AI especially where explicit rules are used e.g. employment and tax laws.

Since employment laws and taxation laws both comprise rules as opposed to standards, they offer the possibility to have 'a clear feature engineering' and, 'train an accurate model''. For instance, the likelihood of success before the courts for a prospective claim for unfair dismissal could be predicted based on precedents with similar features. The same applies to tax appeals before the courts to challenge the computation of tax levied by the revenue authority.

A product which achieves this result will enhance efficiency by enabling the law firm to spend less time on routine paperwork, provide more accurate data and simultaneously enable more data to be handled and, result in less stress for lawyers especially in the current unprecedented times in which services are being rendered and ultimately, yield a higher revenue'.

Nevertheless, despite the many benefits which AI has to offer, it is suggested that AI may not be the most appropriate tool to help lawyers enhance their efficiency in view of the high level of skills and expertise which are required of them.

Instead, it is an integrated approach to machine learning which involves both the human input and technology which is the preferred approach to yield increased efficiency and help minimise risks e.g. improve the quality of research and acquire a competitive edge over competitors. In other words, supervised machine learning is the way forward. Atrium is a law firm which uses technology to perform automated routine tasks to help start-ups identify employees and draft their legal contracts⁴.

The ability to gear a culture by which lawyers see themselves as 'transaction engineers' as we have witnessed in the Silicon Valley law firms remains a wide leap into the practice of the law⁵ in Mauritius. Yet, it is highly desirable as lawyers operate within a highly competitive...