Delegating work doesn’t always mean passing it off to another person. You can delegate many tasks at your firm to technology. In fact, with the advent of affordable AI, you can offload a lot of research and writing tasks.

Today’s tip: Use AI to speed up your writing and research process. This will save you loads of time that you can spend on other tasks.

While last week’s post focused on delegating to freelance lawyers, this week we’re talking about delegating to technology, specifically AI. More and more AI is finding its way into every industry and law is no exception. 

You’ve probably heard about ChapGTP, one of the most popular AI websites for research and writing. But how can it be applied to law? There are just so many ways…but like all things, we recommend you start small.

Here are four ways you can use an AI like ChatGPT in your practice:

•  To provide a summary of meeting notes, contracts, or decisions

Enter articles, texts, YouTube links, transcriptions and other types of content into ChatGPT and then request a summary. You can even specify the length and format using prompts such as ‘in 2 sentences’ or ‘in point form.’

•  To generate explanations and translations

Ask ChatGPT to generate explanations of complex concepts tailored to the education or reading level of your ideal clients. Then ask it to provide the same results in another language so you can offer multi-lingual support if your practice demands it.

•  To compile a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Generate a list of the most commonly asked questions among those who need your services. Then ask ChatGPT to turn them into a set of FAQs that can be posted on your website or put into a lead generator for potential customers. You can even ask it to provide you with an introduction and conclusion.    

• To write letters and emails

If you need to write a really professional letter or email, but you’re feeling too angry or upset to write it dispassionately, ask ChatGPT. Give the AI all the facts and points you want to make and let it loose.

Today’s action item: Try out ChatGPT for yourself. You’d see just how useful it can be in completing writing and research tasks at your firm.

Give it a prompt like:

• Explain the probate process in Florida, as if you were explaining it to a 5th grader or
• You’re a lawyer who provides estate planning advice to elderly clients. Explain the rule against perpetuities to someone with no knowledge of the law.

For example, I’m preparing to teach a group of IILPM  Accredited Training Providers how they can use ChatGPT to convince lawyers to use legal project management.

To show them what it’s capable of, I gave it this prompt:

You are writing for an audience of lawyers and other legal professionals. Write a 600-word blog post on using legal project management in an IP litigation practice. Emphasize the benefits to the lawyers and the clients? What would the lawyers have to do differently?

George (yes, I named my ChatGPT) produced an article that was almost perfect. A little tweaking and it would be good to go on any of their websites.

BUT here’s the caveat: AI can get things wrong, and it can make things up (called “hallucination”).  Although, you can definitely give it style suggestions in your prompts, and provide text for it to mimic, consider its output more like a first draft. You need to verify, check, and put it into your own style rather than see it as a perfect response to copy and paste. 

However, even with the time it takes to use AI software and make changes, the low or even free cost and useful outputs can save you hours each day.

Don’t let myths about delegation prevent you from building a thriving, profitable firm. Check out our free guide, 5 Myths About Delegation, to learn more.