Private Document Search and Drafting
A 40-attorney litigation and business law firm, or a 60-person CPA firm heading into busy season.
Associates spend hours hunting through past matters, contracts and memos that already exist somewhere on the file server. Partners want AI for first drafts but worry about privilege, client confidentiality and their professional rules. Firm knowledge walks out the door with every departure.
Client files stay on the firm’s network. Answers cite the document they came from, so the work can be checked.
- Knowledge search: “Find every indemnification clause we’ve negotiated with a software vendor since 2022”
- Drafting: engagement letters, demand letters and client updates in the firm’s own style
- Summaries: long depositions, contracts or tax notices turned into one-page briefs
- Access control: access follows your roles and departments today, with matter-level permissions for ethical walls on the roadmap
Non-billable research time, time to first draft, and a defensible answer when a client asks how the firm uses AI.
Can lawyers use generative AI with client information?
Yes, with care. ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 2024) says lawyers must understand a tool’s terms and get informed client consent before putting client information into a tool that may learn from it for others. A system on your own network that sends nothing to an outside vendor avoids that disclosure. Confirm your duties with your state bar.
Can CPA firms use AI with tax return information?
Carefully. Federal rules, including IRC Section 7216 and the FTC Safeguards Rule, limit how tax preparers disclose and protect client return information, and sending it to a third-party AI tool can raise those issues. Keeping AI on your own network avoids the outside disclosure. Check the specifics with your advisor.