AI for Professionals

AI Tools for Lawyers: What's Actually Being Used in Real Firms

Talked to 30+ lawyers about which AI tools they pay for. Most are hype. These five genuinely save billable hours.

•By KIYI AI Team

AI Tools for Lawyers: What's Actually Being Used in Real Firms

I spent two months talking to lawyers about which AI tools they actually use daily.

Most legal tech gets bought, tried once, and forgotten. Lawyers are skeptical (rightfully so—accuracy matters).

But a handful of tools have become non-negotiable. The lawyers using them bill more hours because they waste less time on drudgery.

Here's what's genuinely changing how law is practiced, not just marketed.

1. Harvey AI

What it does: AI legal assistant built on GPT-4 for law firms

Key features:

  • Legal research and analysis
  • Contract drafting and review
  • Due diligence assistance
  • Memo writing
  • Precedent finding

Why lawyers love it:

  • Trained on legal documents
  • Understands legal language
  • Cites sources
  • Maintains confidentiality

Pricing: Enterprise only (used by major firms like Allen & Overy, PwC Legal)

Best for: Large law firms, corporate legal departments

Time saved: 5-10 hours/week per lawyer

2. CoCounsel (by Thomson Reuters)

What it does: AI legal assistant for research and document review

Features:

  • Legal research with citations
  • Document review at scale
  • Contract analysis
  • Timeline creation
  • Deposition prep

Accuracy: Reviews documents with 90%+ accuracy

Pricing: Subscription-based, integrated with Westlaw

Best for: Litigation lawyers, corporate attorneys

Real impact: Review 1,000 documents in hours instead of days

3. LexisNexis Lexis+ AI

What it does: AI-powered legal research platform

What it offers:

  • Conversational search
  • Case law summaries
  • Legal issue spotting
  • Brief drafting assistance
  • Citation checking

Advantage: Access to massive legal database + AI

Pricing: Professional subscription

Best for: Research-heavy practice areas

4. Lawgeex

What it does: AI contract review and approval

How it works:

  • Upload contract
  • AI reviews against your playbook
  • Flags issues and risks
  • Suggests revisions
  • Approves routine contracts automatically

Speed: Reviews contracts in minutes, not hours

Accuracy: 94% accuracy (better than lawyers in some studies)

Pricing: Custom for firms

Best for: High-volume contract work, in-house counsel

ROI: 80% time savings on contract review

5. Kira Systems

What it does: AI due diligence and contract analysis

Use cases:

  • M&A due diligence
  • Contract database review
  • Lease abstraction
  • Compliance reviews

How it helps:

  • Extracts key terms automatically
  • Identifies risks and obligations
  • Creates summaries
  • Exports to Excel

Pricing: Per-project or subscription

Best for: M&A attorneys, real estate lawyers

Impact: Complete due diligence 10x faster

6. ChatGPT Plus (for Lawyers)

What it does: General AI assistant adapted for legal work

Legal use cases:

Contract Drafting:

Draft a [CONTRACT TYPE] between [PARTY A] and [PARTY B] including:
- Standard clauses for [JURISDICTION]
- Key terms: [SPECIFY]
- Addressing these issues: [LIST]
Format in professional legal style.

Legal Research Starting Point:

Provide an overview of [LEGAL ISSUE] in [JURISDICTION], including:
- Key statutes
- Leading cases
- Recent developments
- Common arguments
Then suggest research directions.

Client Email Drafting:

Draft an email to a client about [SITUATION]. 
Tone: Professional but empathetic
Explain [LEGAL CONCEPT] in plain English
Address their concerns about [ISSUE]
Keep it under 200 words.

Pricing: $20/month

Important: NOT a substitute for legal research tools. Use for drafts and ideas only. Always verify.

Best for: Solo practitioners, small firms, starting drafts

7. Everlaw

What it does: AI-powered ediscovery and litigation platform

Features:

  • Predictive coding
  • Clustering similar documents
  • Timeline visualization
  • Deposition transcript analysis
  • Story building

Why it stands out:

  • Intuitive interface
  • Powerful AI without complexity
  • Collaboration features

Pricing: Per-GB stored + per user

Best for: Litigation teams, investigations

8. DoNotPay (Consumer Legal AI)

What it does: AI lawyer for consumers

Services:

  • Fight traffic tickets
  • Cancel subscriptions
  • Sue robocallers
  • Appeal parking tickets
  • Small claims assistance

Why it matters: Democratizes legal help for consumers

Pricing: $36/month for consumers

For lawyers: Understanding how AI is disrupting basic legal services

9. Spellbook (Contract Drafting AI)

What it does: AI assistant that works inside Microsoft Word

Features:

  • Suggests contract clauses
  • Identifies missing terms
  • Finds aggressive or unusual terms
  • Generates new sections
  • Reviews for consistency

Integration: Works directly in Word (where lawyers draft)

Pricing: From $40/user/month

Best for: Transactional lawyers, contract drafters

Speed: Draft contracts 10x faster

10. ROSS Intelligence (Bankruptcy-specific)

What it does: AI legal research for bankruptcy law

Features:

  • Natural language search
  • Case law with highlights
  • Jurisdiction-specific results
  • Save research paths

Specialization: Deep bankruptcy law expertise

Pricing: Subscription

Best for: Bankruptcy attorneys

Practice Area Recommendations

Litigation

Priority tools:

  1. CoCounsel or Lexis+ AI (research)
  2. Everlaw (ediscovery)
  3. ChatGPT Plus (drafting)

Corporate/Transactional

Priority tools:

  1. Lawgeex or Spellbook (contracts)
  2. Kira Systems (due diligence)
  3. Harvey AI (if accessible)

Solo Practitioner

Budget-friendly stack:

  1. ChatGPT Plus ($20/month)
  2. Lexis+ or Westlaw (research)
  3. Free tools for specific tasks

Large Firm

Enterprise stack:

  1. Harvey AI or CoCounsel
  2. Kira Systems
  3. Everlaw
  4. Firm-wide implementation

How AI Helps with Specific Legal Tasks

Legal Research (Traditional: 5-10 hours → AI: 1-2 hours)

Process with AI:

  1. Ask conversational question
  2. Get relevant cases with summaries
  3. Deep dive into promising results
  4. Verify and cite check

Contract Review (Traditional: 2-4 hours → AI: 15-30 minutes)

Process with AI:

  1. Upload contract
  2. AI flags issues against playbook
  3. Review AI findings
  4. Make edits
  5. Human final review

Due Diligence (Traditional: Weeks → AI: Days)

Process with AI:

  1. Upload document set
  2. AI extracts key terms
  3. AI identifies risks
  4. Generate summary reports
  5. Focus human review on flagged issues

Discovery Document Review (Traditional: Days → AI: Hours)

Process with AI:

  1. AI categorizes documents
  2. Predictive coding finds relevant docs
  3. Human reviews AI suggestions
  4. AI learns from feedback
  5. Exponentially faster review

ROI Analysis

Solo Practitioner

Investment: $200-500/month Time saved: 10-15 hours/month Value: $2,000-5,000/month (at $200/hour rate) ROI: 5-10x

Small Firm (5 lawyers)

Investment: $2,000-5,000/month Time saved: 50-75 hours/month total Value: $10,000-25,000/month ROI: 4-8x

Large Firm (50+ lawyers)

Investment: $50,000-200,000/month Time saved: 500+ hours/month Value: $200,000-500,000/month ROI: 3-5x + competitive advantage

Ethical and Practical Considerations

Duty of Competence

  • Lawyers must understand AI tools they use
  • Can't blindly rely on AI outputs
  • Still responsible for work product

Confidentiality

  • Ensure AI tools have proper security
  • Understand data policies
  • Use enterprise versions for sensitive matters
  • Consider where data is processed

Unauthorized Practice

  • AI can't give legal advice to your clients directly
  • You're the lawyer, AI is the tool
  • Maintain client relationship

Billing

  • Many firms still bill by hour (conflict with efficiency)
  • Consider value-based billing
  • Be transparent about AI use
  • Focus on deliverable quality, not time spent

Getting Started: 4-Week Plan

Week 1: Assessment

  • Identify most time-consuming tasks
  • Research relevant AI tools
  • Start free trials
  • Set success metrics

Week 2: Testing

  • Test tools on non-critical work
  • Compare quality vs. traditional methods
  • Measure time savings
  • Note any issues

Week 3: Integration

  • Create workflows incorporating AI
  • Train yourself/team
  • Develop quality control processes
  • Document best practices

Week 4: Optimization

  • Refine prompts and processes
  • Measure ROI
  • Decide which tools to keep
  • Plan full implementation

Common Concerns Addressed

"Will AI replace lawyers?"

No. AI handles routine tasks. Lawyers provide judgment, strategy, negotiation, client relationships—things AI can't do.

"What about hallucinations?"

Real concern. Always verify AI output. Use tools designed for legal work when possible. Never rely solely on AI.

"Is it secure?"

Use enterprise tools with proper security for sensitive matters. Know where data goes.

"Will clients accept it?"

Most clients care about results, not methods. Be transparent about using technology to work more efficiently.

"What about bar rules?"

Most bars allow AI use as long as lawyer supervises. Check your jurisdiction.

The Competitive Reality

Firms using AI:

  • Handle more matters
  • Respond faster
  • Reduce costs
  • Attract tech-savvy clients
  • Win more business

Firms not using AI:

  • Slower turnaround
  • Higher costs
  • Losing competitive edge
  • Seen as outdated

What's Next for Legal AI

Coming soon:

  • AI legal assistants that know your specific cases
  • Predictive litigation outcome analysis
  • Automated routine legal work
  • AI courtroom assistance
  • Better integration across platforms

Trend: AI handling routine work so lawyers focus on complex, high-value tasks.

Resources

  • ABA Commission on Ethics: Guidelines on AI use
  • Legal Tech News: Industry updates
  • Stanford CodeX: Legal AI research
  • Law firm AI policies: Templates available

The Bottom Line

AI isn't optional anymore for lawyers who want to:

  • Compete effectively
  • Serve clients better
  • Work reasonable hours
  • Build sustainable practices

Start with one tool in one practice area. Prove the value. Then expand.

The lawyers thriving in 2026 aren't the ones working hardest—they're the ones working smartest with AI.

Lawyers: What AI tools are you using? How's it changing your practice? Share below!