What AI Means for the Paralegal Profession

There is a lot of buzz in the legal industry about the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. Particularly among paralegals, who handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes, time-consuming work for law firms including combing through documents and synthesizing large amounts of information, the development of AI brings concerns about job security and questions about the future of work.

Not to worry—we wrote this article for those who are entering the paralegal profession as well as for those already established as paralegals, to answer common questions about artificial intelligence and paralegals. We will address topics of job security, how to use artificial intelligence to your advantage as a paralegal, and how to ensure that you can remain a valuable asset to law firms as technology advances.

AI Can Be a Powerful Tool for Paralegals

The first thing to know about artificial intelligence as a paralegal is that the technology can be used to greatly improve efficiency and accuracy on a number of the tasks you engage in. Rather than fear AI’s potential to replace human paralegal professionals (more on that below), we recommend leaning into the ways that artificial intelligence can help you in your career.

Tasks including research, data entry, and document review are notoriously time-consuming duties of paralegals. For such work, artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool that can help paralegals to complete time-consuming tasks more efficiently. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are not always accurate, so combining your own expertise and skilled use of artificial intelligence is essential to maximize the technology’s benefits.

AI Cannot Replace Human Paralegals

Let’s address a common concern related to artificial intelligence that exists across many professions, including paralegals. Many aspiring and current paralegal professionals are concerned that their jobs could be replaced by AI technology. This simply is not true.

Artificial intelligence is a tool that requires skilled human oversight, not a technology that is capable of completing complicated human tasks on its own. For example, you might give an AI tool several documents to comb through to extract data, but applying that data to the case at hand, communicating your findings to clients and lawyers, and fact-checking the artificial intelligence are all tasks that must be completed by a skilled professional.

Plus, there are certain paralegal duties that artificial intelligence simply can’t accomplish, like handling client contact and providing emotionally attuned consults when appropriate. Furthermore, artificial intelligence is not accurate enough to be trusted with sensitive legal output. Most lawyers do not trust the output of artificial intelligence currently, so using AI without skilled fact-checking protocols in place can break the trust between paralegals and lawyers.

How to Upskill as a Paralegal in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence can help you do your job as a paralegal faster, and potentially even better. But it cannot, in its current form, replace the accuracy, personhood, or communication skills of a human paralegal. Thus, the best way to adapt as a paralegal in the age of AI is to learn to use AI!

Try starting with data analysis when using generative AI as a paralegal. Even in these early days of the technology, artificial intelligence systems are quite adept at processing massive amounts of data and generating pertinent information. However, without a skilled human operator, artificial intelligence tools fall short when interpreting results, generating insights, and making informed decisions based on the data. Artificial intelligence also makes mistakes, even with data analysis, so it’s important for paralegals to have these skills themselves so they can check for accuracy.

Mastering data analysis with artificial intelligence is one of the top ways you can employ the tool as a paralegal, and in doing so, you can learn the ins and outs of artificial intelligence and what to look out for when utilizing it. Many generative AI tools also have a learning component that allows them to adapt to a specific user’s instructions and style. In other words, the more you use artificial intelligence, the better you can train it to be more accurate and efficient in how it analyzes information for you.

Take Advanced Paralegal Courses

Blackstone Career Institute offers online Advanced Paralegal courses for professionals looking to upskill. Staying on top of continuing education may be more important than ever within the paralegal profession. Law offices will be looking to hire paralegals who demonstrate that they are committed to continually improving their craft.

Blackstone’s Advanced Paralegal courses allow you to sharpen your paralegal resume and gain knowledge in specific areas of law practice, including immigration law, criminal law, family law, and much more.

The more skilled you become as a paralegal, the more capable you will be of using artificial intelligence tools in a way that is productive, accurate, and reliable. Generative AI needs skilled, knowledgeable professionals to use it so that it can learn how to better assist attorneys in their duties.

 

Written by Adam Wernham

Disclaimer: Blackstone Career Institute, an accredited school, cannot guarantee employment, job promotion prospects, or income increases.