Artificial intelligence tools are becoming a routine part of daily life, and many clients now use them to gather information before speaking with an attorney. While AI can be a helpful way to organize your thoughts or get familiar with basic legal concepts, it also creates misunderstandings about case strength, timelines, and strategy. This FAQ breaks down how AI can support your legal journey, where it can go wrong, and why working with a qualified lawyer remains essential.
How clients are using AI
Is it okay to use AI to research my case before I talk to a lawyer?
Yes, generative AI can be a useful starting point to learn basic legal concepts, identify issues, and organize your thoughts before a consultation. It can also help you summarize documents or emails so you can more easily explain the background of your dispute.
Why does my AI tool say my case is “strong” or “easy to win”?
Most AI systems are pattern‑matching tools that work from limited information and do not apply jurisdiction‑specific law, local rules, judge‑specific history, or evidentiary problems to your situation. They tend to oversimplify and overstate confidence, which is why many litigants arrive with unrealistic expectations about value, risk, and timing.
Benefits of AI in litigation
How can AI legitimately help with my legal matter?
Used properly by a lawyer, AI can speed up document review, help spot patterns, and surface potentially relevant authority more quickly, which can reduce some research and drafting time. It can also help generate timelines, organize communications, and identify themes, allowing the attorney to spend more time on strategy and judgment.
Does AI make hiring an attorney less necessary?
No. AI cannot substitute for legal judgment about strategy, credibility, settlement value, procedural rules, or how a particular judge or jury is likely to react to your facts. Courts and ethics rules still place responsibility on licensed attorneys—not software—for the advice given and documents filed.
Risks and limitations of AI
What are the main risks of relying on AI to analyze my case?
AI tools can sound confident while giving wrong answers, including citing cases that do not exist, misreading statutes, or applying law from the wrong jurisdiction. There are already reported cases where lawyers and litigants were sanctioned for submitting AI‑generated briefs with fabricated authorities.
Can AI understand the full context and nuance of my situation?
No. AI does not truly understand context, credibility, emotions, or the practical realities of litigation; it processes text in a limited window and can easily miss cross‑references, prior rulings, or subtle facts that change the outcome. It also cannot weigh business considerations, reputational risk, or personal priorities the way a human lawyer can.
Is it safe to paste my confidential documents into public AI tools?
Entering confidential or sensitive information into public AI systems can create serious privacy and privilege risks, because your data may be stored, used for further training, or accessible to the provider’s personnel. Confidential documents should only be reviewed in secure environments that preserve privilege and comply with professional and ethical obligations.
Role of the lawyer
If I bring AI‑generated analysis to a consultation, will you use it?
AI output can sometimes help identify questions to explore, but it is treated only as a rough starting point. Your attorney will independently verify the law and facts, correct errors, and then give you candid advice about the real strengths, weaknesses, timelines, and costs of your case.
How should I think about AI’s role in my case?
The safest way to think about AI is as a high‑speed research assistant—not a lawyer. It can help gather and organize information, but decisions about filing, settlement, trial strategy, and risk must always be made by you and your attorney based on verified facts, governing law, and experience in the courtroom.
AI can be a helpful supplement, but it is not a substitute for legal counsel. Every case turns on facts, credibility, timing, and the application of real law—not predictions made by a software model. If you’ve used AI to research your issue, bring your notes to your consultation, and your attorney can help separate useful insights from inaccurate assumptions.
Contact Rosenthal Law Group today to learn more!