Artificial intelligence has become one of the most discussed topics in the legal profession. Much of that discussion focuses on whether AI will replace lawyers. In practice, however, the more immediate—and more important—question is how lawyers can use AI responsibly to improve the delivery of legal services.
For small law firms, the answer is increasingly clear: when used thoughtfully, AI can help attorneys work more efficiently, reduce unnecessary costs, and devote more time to the aspects of representation that require legal judgment and strategic thinking.
That does not mean outsourcing legal work to a chatbot. It means using technology to streamline tasks that have traditionally consumed significant attorney time.
For example, AI can quickly summarize lengthy deposition transcripts, identify key provisions in complex contracts, organize large document productions, generate chronologies from thousands of pages of records, and assist with preliminary legal research. Tasks that might once have required hours of manual review can often be completed in a fraction of the time, allowing attorneys to focus their attention on analyzing the facts, developing strategy, and advocating for their clients.
The benefits extend beyond the law firm itself. Greater efficiency often translates into lower litigation costs, faster turnaround times, and more predictable legal fees. Particularly in commercial litigation, where document-intensive discovery and motion practice can drive expenses, leveraging AI appropriately can help clients obtain high-quality legal representation without paying for work that technology can perform more efficiently.
Of course, AI is not infallible. It can misunderstand context, misstate legal authority, or generate inaccurate information if left unchecked. For that reason, AI should never replace an attorney’s independent legal judgment. Every AI-assisted work product must be carefully reviewed, verified, and refined by a lawyer before it reaches a client or a court.
A Note on AI and Self-Drafting
While we embrace AI to improve our own efficiency, we strongly advise against clients using AI to draft their own legal documents. We frequently see situations where a client has used ChatGPT to draft a contract, a demand letter, or even a court pleading, and then asks us to simply “review and file it.” Tajima LLP does not accept engagements on this basis.
AI-generated legal documents often contain fatal flaws, cite non-existent case law, or fail to address jurisdiction-specific requirements. Fixing a poorly drafted AI document usually takes more time—and costs more money—than having an experienced attorney draft it correctly from the start. More importantly, an attorney who files a document they did not meaningfully author assumes professional responsibility for its contents. That is not a risk we are willing to take, and it is not a service model that serves clients well.
At Tajima LLP, we have integrated AI directly into our legal workflows. We use Clio Works for practice management and client communication, and Westlaw AI for legal research and case analysis. These tools allow our attorneys to work faster and more thoroughly—surfacing relevant authority more quickly, managing matters more efficiently, and spending less time on administrative overhead. The result is a leaner, more responsive practice that delivers the quality of a large firm without the billing structure of one.
Used properly, AI is best understood as a sophisticated legal assistant—not a substitute for counsel. The attorney remains responsible for every strategic decision, every legal argument, and every filing.
The legal profession has consistently embraced technologies that improve the quality and efficiency of legal services, from electronic research databases to electronic filing systems and advanced document review platforms. Artificial intelligence is the next step in that evolution.
For small firms in particular, AI presents an opportunity to compete more effectively with larger organizations by delivering sophisticated legal services with greater efficiency. When combined with experienced legal judgment and careful professional oversight, these tools can create meaningful value for clients while allowing attorneys to spend more time where they add the greatest value: solving complex legal problems.