Can I use AI to Replace My Lawyer in Family Court? Can AI Do Some of the Work? All of the Work? Will AI get me into trouble?
See My Instagram Reel: AI Will Not Help you In Court
I will start by stating the obvious: if clients’ use of AI negatively affects my own bottom line, I have every incentive to dump on the use of AI. I will state another obvious point: no one enjoys paying legal fees and most people will naturally explore ways to save money on fees. BUT, I will still try to speak with credibility on the growing use of AI and some of my concerns. Take it for what it is worth.
Can AI replace lawyers entirely?
Let me rephrase the question: Can AI prepare my legal documents or my arguments for me to use on my own in Court? No, not yet. Let me use an example: last month, my car broke down. I used AI to diagnose the issue and to guide me to purchasing the correct replacement parts and installing it. I was quite impressed with the technology (and never want to fix my own car again). But, that was a singular, defined issue: a particular part was broken and needed to be replaced. No judgment or assessment was needed beyond identifying the broken part.
In family court, cases are rarely a singular issue. And even then, the broader context is usually essential. This requires judgment and assessment. AI, however, does not assess. It does not provide judgment. It does not identify a blind spot or an oversight. It will not challenge you on your strategy or approach to a dispute. Consider the example where I asked Co-Pilot this question:
Is this statement admissible as testimony in family court on a parenting dispute: “My ex, the father, never feeds healthy food to our kids when they are at his house.”
The answer I received was technically correct. It was a helpful, readable, illustrative answer. You could pass a law school exam with the information provided by Co-Pilot. BUT, the answer entirely missed the mark. Parenting disputes at trial are won and lost based on a proper understanding of this point: the party with the weak case will speak endlessly about what goes on in the other parent’s household despite knowing nothing directly. AI cannot identify this blind spot and provide meaningful guidance.
So, is AI Helpful in Law at All?
Of course: I use AI all the time. It helps facilitate many of our more routine processes and it can cut research time down significantly (depending on the issue). It cannot perform core functions but it can streamline our processes to save time and money.
See My Instagram Reel: AI Will Not Help you In Court
