Four categories of AI tool
| Category | Typical use | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| General AI assistants | Drafting, summarising, restructuring text | Confident but wrong detail; data handling terms |
| Legal research platforms with AI | Finding and summarising authority | Still verify against the source |
| Document review and contract tools | Diligence, clause extraction, comparison | Missed edge cases; setup cost |
| Workspace AI (e.g. inside Notion) | Notes, summaries, searching your own pages | Only as good as the content you feed it |
Names change quickly in this market, so this article compares categories rather than ranking products. Look at current vendor documentation when you shortlist.
Questions to ask every vendor
- Is client data used to train models, and can that be switched off in writing?
- Where is data processed and stored, and who can access it?
- What do the enterprise or business terms say compared with the free tier?
- Does the tool show sources, and can you click through to them?
- Can you export your work and delete your data?
Professional-conduct guidance on generative AI exists, including ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 2024) in the United States. It addresses competence, confidentiality and supervision. Check your own bar or regulator for the rules that apply to you.
How to run a fair trial
- 1
Pick three tasks
For example summarise a long email thread, draft a first-pass letter, and extract dates from a document.
- 2
Anonymise inputs
Remove names and identifying facts until you are satisfied with the vendor's terms.
- 3
Score each output
Rate accuracy, tone, missing points and time saved to review.
- 4
Count the checking time
A fast draft that takes an hour to verify may not be a saving.
- 5
Decide per task
Adopt a tool only for the jobs where it earned its place.
Where Notion and LawyerOS fit
LawyerOS Pro with AI ($39) includes a Custom AI Agents page that explains how to set up Notion's agents on your own matter data. It is a template and guide, not an AI product. Whatever the AI produces still depends on Notion's own features and plan, so check what is available to you.
Frequently asked questions
- Which AI tool is best for lawyers?
- There is no single best. Choose by job: research, drafting, review or workflow, and test on your own anonymised work.
- Is it safe to put client data into an AI tool?
- Only if the vendor's terms and your own professional obligations allow it. Read the data-handling terms and check your regulator's guidance.
- Should I use a free AI tool for client work?
- Free tiers often have different data terms from paid business plans. Read them before using client information.
- Will AI replace lawyers?
- This article does not predict that. It treats AI as an assistant whose output a lawyer must review and take responsibility for.
About the author
Raghav Handa trained as a lawyer, then spent years building legal technology, from enterprise legal products to custom systems for law firms.
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