I was a panelist at the 16th Annual Advanced In-House Counsel Course in San Antonio, Texas on August 18, 2017. I was joined once again by Jason Smith of Apttus and Jane McBride of Optimus Legal to discuss ways lawyers can work smarter and not harder – a worthy goal if ever there was one! Of course, one of the main ways to accomplish this is through the use of technology which we all touched on at some point during the discussion. If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I have recently written on the impact of artificial intelligence on in-house legal departments as well as ways to slay the “Email Jabberwocky.” Both highlight ways technology (and common sense) can help you do more in the same or less time. You also know that I enjoy writing about the use of technology generally by in-house lawyers. And now that I have gotten back in the General Counsel game after two years of private practice, I am focusing even more intently on ways technology can make my and my team’s lives easier. What all of this means is that it is time for my annual “Cool Tech” blog post. You can read my past posts for Cool Tech 2015 and Cool Tech 2016 (and I still recommend all of the technology mentioned there), but this edition of “Ten Things” will discuss an all-new list of cool tech for in-house lawyers. As always, I do not receive any compensation or anything to endorse these products, it’s just my opinion about technology I think in-house lawyers might find useful:
Month: August 2017
Ten Things: Artificial Intelligence – What Every Legal Department Really Needs to Know
[Note: this is a summary version of a four-part series I wrote for Thomson Reuters earlier this year with some key updates and new sections. You can find the full series by clicking here]
Some of the best scenes in the television show Star Trek (the original version) involve the crew members asking the computer a question and the computer spitting out the answer in the form of a conversation. I was utterly amazed by this and, of course, wanted my own computer that would “answer” my questions. Alas, I was ahead of my time. But, I was recently reading an article comparing the Google Home with the Amazon Echo, two devices that allow you to ask questions and get an answer. From a computer. Just like Star Trek! This brought back two important memories from the TV show: 1) intelligent computers that can talk and answer questions; and 2) never be the crewman in the red shirt. I always lived by the latter and now, it dawned on me, I could start to live by the former too.
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is just beginning to come into its own in terms of uses by lawyers. We are on the cusp of a revolution in the practice of law led by the adoption of AI computers – in particular by in-house lawyers. Much like email changed the way we do business every day, AI will become ubiquitous – an indispensable assistant to practically every lawyer. This edition of “Ten Things” discusses what you really need to know right now about artificial intelligence:
Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel® 