4 LEXPERT
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2018
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WWW.LEXPERT.CA
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI ISN'T COMING
TO LAW. IT'S ALREADY
HERE — AND IN A
BIG WAY — AS LAW
FIRMS AUGMENT
THEIR CORPORATE
LEGAL SERVICES TO
EXPLOIT HERETOFORE
UNHEARD-OF
EFFICIENCIES
BY JEAN CUMMING
AI Arrives
DRAMATIC PREDICTIONS about robots replacing law-
yers are common enough. Yet lawyers soldier on, to the benefit of
their clients on M&A and other transactions. While these lawyers
have not been replaced yet, increasingly they are sharing their work-
load with computers, employing the practical innovations that Ar-
tificial Intelligence tools and programs can provide. In the Ameri-
can Bar Association Journal, Julie Sobowale defines the term: "AI,
sometimes referred to as cognitive computing, refers to computers
learning how to complete tasks traditionally done by humans. e
focus is on computers looking for patterns in data, carrying out tests
to evaluate the data and finding results."
Lexpert-ranked lawyers told Lexpert that they are finding sev-
eral points in transactions where tools are under consideration or
already in place — starting with their own internal knowledge re-
sources. Joel Binder of Stikeman Elliott LLP says, "We are certainly
using AI technology. As an example, we built and trained our own
in-house repository for classifying, accessing and leveraging our
knowledge tools. is is a system that we continue to hone over time
understanding that the data we generate is one of our greatest assets
and opens up a range of opportunities to leverage AI."
Firms are also using it to gather and synthesize Competitive
Intelligence information, which can be of enormous benefit to
their clients. Jennifer Traub of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP:
"Clients expect me to know their businesses, the developments in
their industries and advise them in a timely manner; it's not an op-
tion. Knowing is crucial. Having access to market and competitive
intelligence tools that employ AI technologies allows me to stay in
the know and turn that insight into something the client needs to
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK
