This article was written with the assistance of AI and edited by Angela Sabarese.Â
In a recent CLM webinar, three legal industry leaders shared insights on how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping the legal landscape. JD Keister of McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC; Kathryn Anderson of Texas KPA Law, PLLC; and Daniel Costello of Costello, Ginex, and Wideikis, P.C., discussed their experiences implementing GenAI in their defense firms.
The panel explored GenAI fundamentals, current applications in legal practice, ethical considerations, and future implications. They highlighted how both defense firms and plaintiffs' attorneys are utilizing these tools, with particular attention to addressing talent shortages and improving efficiency.
The Impact of GenAI
"I think it's going to be as big of an impact on society as electricity, the Internet, the steam engine," said Keister, quoting JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. "It's the single biggest disruptor to what we do as lawyers and as defense firms, since email, since Westlaw and Lexus became websites instead of books."
The speakers emphasized that GenAI helps with document drafting, legal research, discovery review, and medical chronologies—but requires proper prompting and human oversight. Anderson shared her practical approach: "I've been using AI as my own associate in a lot of ways because I can tell it what to do. It listens to me, and it produces a work product very fast."
Concerns and Ethical Considerations
A major concern addressed was the tension between efficiency gains and traditional billing models. The panel suggested alternative fee arrangements might become more common in response to GenAI adoption. They also noted the plaintiff's bar is aggressively adopting tools like EvenUp Law, which helps generate demand letters and medical chronologies.
Ethical considerations figured prominently, with all three speakers emphasizing the importance of maintaining confidentiality through closed-source platforms and obtaining client consent. Despite implementation challenges, the consensus was clear: law firms that fail to adapt to GenAI risk being left behind in an increasingly technology-driven legal landscape.