How to Use AI for Legal Document Summaries and Analysis to Save Time on Work

Is the burden of legal document analysis holding back your practice? Many lawyers spend hours daily on the repetitive and slow-going process of reading. Scouring lengthy deposition transcripts, contracts, and communication records in search of critical case details is a necessary part of legal representation, but it is also time-consuming and repetitive. 

Legal AI technology can dramatically expedite and improve your firm's processes through summarizing legal documents. AI tools process documents much faster than humans. Harnessing that power alongside the expertise of your team can result in more efficient, more accurate document summaries, improved case file organization, and sharper, more relevant case strategies. 

In this guide, we will explore how to achieve these goals. We will explain how AI legal document analysis tools work and how law firms are using them to create measurable efficiencies in daily operations. 

What Is AI-Powered Legal Document Summarization?

AI legal document summarizers are tools that scan, summarize, and analyze legal documents. For instance, a paralegal can upload a 50-page lease to an AI-powered application and receive a summary of case-relevant key points in seconds. The paralegal can then focus on validating and enhancing the output of AI legal document analysis tools. The process is faster but produces the same or better quality results. 

Without AI, the paralegal could spend one to two hours reading the document and highlighting important information. Converting the highlights into a written summary to share with the client or team can also be time-consuming, depending on the team member's writing skills. 

How Do AI Legal Document Summary and Analysis Tools Work?

AI legal document analysis tools typically use a collection of underlying technologies to process written information, including: 

• Optical character recognition (OCR): OCR digitizes printed documents so they can be edited and shared. OCR technology predates AI. Some legal AI tools incorporate OCR so legal teams can collaborate digitally on documents that were initially shared in a paper format. 

• Machine learning: Machine learning is an AI technology that allows computers to learn and improve with data feedback. Algorithms underpin machine learning technologies. They define steps for identifying patterns, classifying information, and making sequential decisions without human intervention. 

• Natural language processing (NLP): NLP uses machine learning to enable computers to understand and use human language. It is a foundational technology for AI-powered document summary tools. 

• Generative AI: Generative AI is technology that can create new text, images, videos, and software code. Legal AI tools use generative AI to draft document summaries, contracts, and client communications. 

The process for using legal AI varies by application. Typically, it begins with a lawyer or paralegal scanning a printed document or uploading a digital one. The user may need to request an expected outcome, such as a summary or list of salient points. The application responds with the requested deliverables and may suggest next steps. The user reviews and validates the output. 

AI does not replace attorney oversight or expert legal reasoning. These tools are assistive. They can quickly surface insights from dense documentation and reduce manual workload, but their outputs must be validated. 

What Types of Legal Documents Can AI Summarize and Analyze?

Some of the top legal AI companies have created tools that can process these common legal documents:  

1. Contracts: Business agreements, non-disclosure agreements, power of attorney agreements, indemnity agreements, settlements, non-competes, and more.  

2. Pleadings: Complaints, answers, motions to dismiss, and counterclaims. 

3. Discovery materials: Deposition transcripts, documents, notes, and affidavits. 

4. Intake forms: Client-provided information that includes case and client details. 

Many AI apps can process legal documents in different formats, such as PDF or Microsoft Word. Printed documents and images can also be submitted to AI via OCR. 

How Do Lawyers Use AI for Legal Document Summaries?

Throughout the legal process, there are several time-saving use cases for AI document summary and analysis. Legal AI contract review is one. Lawyers can also use AI to analyze court filings, summarize case files, expedite discovery, process client intake forms, and review PDFs and scanned documents. 

Reviewing Contracts With AI

AI can summarize contracts quickly by producing a list of important clauses and terms. Some legal AI contract review tools can also identify risks and compliance issues. Lawyers can use AI legal document summarization tools to analyze contracts produced by opposing counsel and to quality check their own contract drafts. 

Analyzing Court Filings and Motions

AI legal document analysis tools can scan court orders, judgments, briefs, and motions to identify facts, parties, arguments, legal precedents, inconsistencies, and unclear language. Lawyers can also use AI to process opposing counsel's briefs and motions to evaluate arguments and identify strategy opportunities. 

Summarizing Case Files and Depositions

AI can process huge data sets much faster than humans. This makes it possible to review and summarize entire case files, including lengthy deposition transcripts. These tools can list key details and identify inconsistencies and omissions, sometimes with links to the source information. This allows lawyers to focus their time on the documents or sections that are most impactful to case strategy.  

Summarizing PDFs and Scanned Documents

OCR extends AI's power to documents that previously only existed in paper form. Examples include executed wills, living trusts, lease agreements, service contracts, employment agreements, and deeds. OCR can convert these physical documents into machine-readable PDFs. In that format, AI can process them to create summaries, key points, risk analyses, strategy overviews, and more.  

Best Practices for Ethical Use of AI Legal Document Summarizers

Legal AI tools can quickly process dense information, allowing attorneys to focus more of their time on higher-level strategy. But this efficiency also comes with some risk.

Creating documented AI usage guidelines can help lawyers establish clear guardrails for safe, ethical use of this technology. Concepts to cover within the guidelines include:  

1. Appropriate use cases: Define the types of documents AI can be used to process. 

2. Review and validation requirements: Specify when human review or validation of AI outputs is required. Also, provide direction on how team members should document their compliance with the review and validation requirements. 

3. Emphasize the importance of human oversight: Team members should be aware that AI does not work in isolation. In legal offices, AI document summaries should be seen as a resource for lawyers, not a replacement. They must be reviewed for accuracy, particularly when the information is used to inform case strategy.  

4. Vet and approve AI tools: Limit your team to AI tools that you have vetted and approved. Your vetting process should assess the application's compliance with data privacy laws, encryption standards, and bar association ethical guidelines. Processing client information with AI software that isn't secure likely constitutes a breach of confidentiality. 

How MyCase AI Tools Help With Summarizing Legal Documents 

MyCase, the all-in-one practice management solution, uses generative AI to create document summaries so lawyers can stay organized and informed. MyCase IQ generates the summaries and embeds them in the MyCase platform, allowing users to review key points without opening additional files or toggling between applications. While the feature isn’t designed to conduct case-specific legal review or manage formal document reviews in litigation or discovery, it helps MyCase users save time by quickly summarizing legal documents at any stage of the case lifecycle. 

MyCase IQ also streamlines the writing process with robust text editing features. Team members can use it to adjust tone, check spelling and grammar, and translate between Arabic, Spanish, and English, all within the platform. 

Exploring AI tools firsthand through demos and free trials can help you refine your law firm's AI strategy. Seeing software in action is the best way to understand how it can streamline operations and enhance your practice. You can get started with legal document AI now—no credit card required.