The Treasure Coast Justice Association (TCJA) explains how the use of Artificial Intelligence is already transforming the legal industry by introducing many new opportunities, risks, and responsibilities for attorneys and law firms.

“Artificial Intelligence” is no longer just a buzzword, it’s actively reshaping the way legal professionals work. From research to client communication, AI tools are streamlining processes, reducing costs, and opening new opportunities for law firms of all sizes. As Florida attorneys adopt generative AI tools like ChatGPT, other large language models (LLMs), and a growing constellation of “AI-powered” research and drafting tools, these systems are already altering the day-to-day practice of law.

Used wisely, these new tools can sharpen workflows, reduce drudgery, and widen access to legal insights. Used carelessly, they can erode client trust, jeopardize confidentiality, and draw judicial sanctions. Florida lawyers should take heed: both the Florida Bar and the ABA have begun to issue concrete guidance on how to integrate AI responsibly.

Faster, Smarter Legal Research

Traditionally, legal research could take hours, sometimes days. AI-powered platforms can now scan statutes, case law, and legal opinions in seconds, pulling relevant information to allow attorneys to focus more on analysis and strategy instead of manual research. While many of these tools have impressive capabilities to gather accurate and relevant information, firms face risks of referencing hallucinated information, such as fake precedents for cases that never existed.

Reliance on LLM outputs is risky. The now-famous Mata v. Avianca sanctions arose when lawyers submitted a brief containing non-existent cases generated by ChatGPT, complete with fabricated quotes and citations. Courts and commentators have treated it as a cautionary tale: AI can sound authoritative while being utterly wrong. Verification is non-negotiable.

Attorneys need to temper their desire to accelerate their research methods with their natural intelligence by skillfully using these tools with clear and intentional prompts or inputs, carefully reviewing the returned information or outputs, and diligently checking information for veracity.

Enhanced Client Communications and Faster Intake

Some firms are integrating AI chatbots to answer basic client questions, schedule consultations, and collect intake information. This can create opportunities to improve efficiency and enhance client experiences by providing instant responses, but law firms need to make sure they strategically control the scope of automated responses to maintain accuracy in communications and set appropriate expectations while avoiding perceptions that they are delaying or limiting access to the actual personnel at the firm.

Overreliance on these tools for client communication and intake can lead to frustration and a negative experience. When explained transparently, responsible AI use can shorten turnaround times and lower cost for routine tasks, and this can be particularly helpful for small firms and legal aid organizations.

Accelerated Organization, Triage, Predictive Analysis, Drafting, & Review

Large language models (LLMs) can summarize lengthy client documents, produce first-pass chronologies, and generate issue spotters or checklists. In litigation, AI-aided document review is maturing to accelerate early case assessment and prioritize documents while reducing manual error. Simple automations, such as turning meeting notes into action lists or converting deposition outlines into clean scripts, can reclaim hours for higher-value analysis.

AI systems are increasingly able to forecast legal resolutions by analyzing past rulings and trends. While these predictions are not guarantees, they can help attorneys assess the strength of a case, advise clients more effectively, and develop better case strategies.

Modern legal research platforms embedding LLMs can surface relevant authorities from natural-language prompts and, with proper constraints, generate case synopses, rule breakdowns, and side-by-side comparisons. AI can also assist in drafting contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents by suggesting language, flagging potential risks, and helping to maintain compliance. For document review in litigation, AI tools can quickly identify key information in massive datasets, reducing the time and cost of discovery.

Ethics and Responsibility

While AI offers significant benefits, it also raises important ethical considerations. Attorneys must make sure AI-generated work meets professional standards and complies with confidentiality, privacy, and applicable regulations. The Florida Bar and other governing bodies are beginning to address these issues, and lawyers should take care to stay informed regarding these developments.

Confidentiality and Privilege

Sending client facts to a public model can expose confidential information to third-party providers. Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 24-1 explicitly permits generative AI use, but it warns lawyers to protect confidentiality, exercise competence, avoid improper billing, and comply with advertising rules. It also recommends gaining the affected client’s informed consent before disclosing confidential information to a third-party AI system. If a tool offers an enterprise walled-garden or on-prem option, evaluate whether it better satisfies your confidentiality and data-security duties.

Competence, Supervision, and Billing

ABA Formal Opinion 512 provides a helpful framework: lawyers must understand AI’s benefits and limitations, supervise its use (including nonlawyers and vendors), protect confidentiality, and bill fairly.

Routine, general use of a consumer chatbot is typically overhead. Discrete, metered use of a specialized AI service for a particular client matter may be an expense, but only if it is reasonable and disclosed. Above all, lawyers remain responsible for the accuracy of their work, no matter what tool helped produce it.

Bias and Explainability

LLMs are trained on vast datasets that can encode historical bias. That matters in areas like employment or housing advice, or when using AI to screen claims.

Outputs should be treated as hypotheses to test, not conclusions to trust. Where a decision must be explained (to a client or a court), you need human-readable reasoning tied to primary sources.

Court Rules and Standing Orders

Some judges now require certifications about AI use or impose restrictions on AI-generated content in filings. Judge Brantley Starr (N.D. Tex.) issued an early standing order requiring disclosure and attorney attestation that any AI-assisted content was checked against reliable sources.

Similar orders and local practices continue to proliferate across jurisdictions; Florida practitioners should confirm the expectations of the forum judge before filing.

What These Accelerating Technological Changes Mean for Florida Attorneys in the Future

AI won’t replace attorneys but attorneys who use AI effectively may replace those who don’t. By embracing these tools thoughtfully and ethically, law firms can work more efficiently, serve clients better, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.

Florida lawyers integrating AI must do so without compromising core duties. Florida Bar Opinion 24-1 permits generative AI use but stresses confidentiality, competence, reasonable fees, and truthful advertising. It encourages informed client consent before sharing confidential information with third-party AI tools. For firm operations, that translates to:

Defaulting to enterprise-grade, non-training environments or on-premises solutions
Written AI use policies for law firms and their employees
Human review and citation verification for all court-facing work
Clear billing practices distinguishing overhead from matter-specific AI expenses

AI is altering the economics of legal work by accelerating routine drafting and research work, but quality still hinges on precise instructions and rigorous verification. Courts and regulators are watching, and attorneys remain responsible for the filings they sign. Firms that train teams in prompt discipline, retrieval-augmented research, and adversarial self-review (e.g., “argue the other side; list likely errors”) will keep quality high while earning speed gains.

Follow These Technological Developments with Local and Regional Peers in the Treasure Coast Justice Association

At the Treasure Coast Justice Association (TCJA), we help South Florida legal practices throughout our area connect with other law firms to network and learn together, growing professionally to provide excellent legal services and adjust intelligently to changes affecting the legal industry. Established in 2013, the TCJA offers members educational and professional development opportunities, continuing education on timely topics, monthly networking meetings, and access to a ListServ to participate in shared discussions regarding matters affecting legal professionals in Southeast Florida. Contact the TCJA today to learn more about membership benefits.

The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or a law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

Treasure Coast Justice Association
200 Circle West
Jupiter, FL 33458

treasurecoastja@gmail.com
(561) 201-4816
https://www.tcjusticeassociation.org/