India and its legal upholdings have always been viewed as human-centric and is known for adopting traditional methods to upload justice, represent clients and ensure a streamlined process. However, in this ever evolving economy, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and technology have brought revolution in both educational and professional sectors. The present is rapidly evolving to adapt to the future potential and to follow the same practice, the legal system in India is actively making changes as well. That said, the advancement is also raising discussions and questions about the future of legal practice and if it will ever lead to slashing human advocates and legal resources. While the idea of AI replacing human lawyers may seem far fetched, the fact that AI is still growing to influence and reshape the legal landscape can not be denied.
AI and its Role in Legal Sector
It is safe to admit that AI is significantly impacting the future of legal practice and can be explained in detail by evaluating its role in the legal sector. AI is actively playing a role in the automation of the legal sector in India. AI-powered tools are becoming increasingly popular in legal research, contract analysis, litigation prediction and so many other resources that need automation. Following points detail some key areas that have made advancement with the help of AI:
- Legal Research and Documentation Review is one of the most tedious and time-consuming tasks that advocates need to fulfil. They were responsible for reviewing sizable amounts of documents and research files before, however, with the advancement of AI, advocates and legal researchers now use AI to ease their tasks. AI powered tools such as SpotDraft help streamline this process by using technology to analyze case law, statutes, regulations and legal precedents. Nowadays, AI platforms have incorporated algorithms that can scan such huge legal documents and case files, identify important information, provide summaries and at times suggest probable arguments based on existing legal principles in almost no time.
- Contract Drafts is something that can now be prepared with AI powered tools that have incorporated the technology of machine learning to save hours of manual labour. AI now helps review, analyse and then draft contracts by comparing them to existing templates and industry standards. AI can aid lawyers in ensuring that the contracts are accurate and legally sound. However, at times technology tends to hallucinate so to ensure that the complex legal clauses and related information is accurate and factual, it is important that legal professionals spend time to check facts and figures.
- Legal Analytics and Prediction is an additional task that is made easy through technology. Through tools like Deep Research, AI is now trained to provide insights on the ongoing case and its likelihood to succeed. AI does that by examining previous judgements, case outcomes and trends that follow in court whilst making legal decisions. These tools help the legal professionals to learn through probability and make informed decisions about whether to proceed with a case or explore substitute dispute resolution methods.
- Chatbots for Client Interaction is another trending and useful use for law firms to handle basic client queries and processes. AI-aided Chatbots can collect information from clients, schedule appointments, create schedules and at times answer the frequently asked questions. To illustrate, VakilSearch offers a chatbot survive that provides clients with initial legal advice and helps them draft simple legal documents like agreements and contracts.
Can AI Replace Advocates in India?
Answering this question seems complex, however, as of now, Artificial Intelligence can NOT fully replace human resources in a legal setting. There are several reasons to illustrate why human advocates continue to be an indispensable asset in the legal field and AI is only aids in transforming the legal landscape and not replacing it.
- Advocates continue to be irreplaceable as they are skilled professionals who offer advice and judgement by maintaining a balance between emotional intelligence and factual equity. Yes, judgements are based on factual evidence, however, understanding complex human behavior is equally relevant in a legal setting. Presently, AI lacks the above mentioned qualities and at the same time empathy, persuasion and the ability to tailor arguments in front of judges.
- A courtroom demands ethical and moral dilemmas that go beyond the letter of law. Sure AI can be programmed with knowledge of legal rules and courtroom history, however, it can not have the ethical and moral gray areas that lawyers often encounter. Additionally, legal resources are bound by professional codes and ethics which program them to act in their clients’ best interests, whereas, AI can not be trusted to make ethical decisions that prioritize clients, fairness and justice.
- AI can help with legal research and predictions, however, it alone can not represent a client in court. Legal proceedings and court requires the ability to think, mold and represent a case on one’s feet, which is not currently achievable through AI.
In conclusion, AI continues to evolve and enhance the efficiency of law firms. The technology helps lawyers make an informed decision and democratize access to legal information. However, human resources remain critically essential in order to apply legal principles in human context, navigate ethical issues and provide empathy required during a judgment. The future of legal proceedings in India is vibrant with AI playing a pivotal role in shaping it alongside human resources that seem to be indispensable for generations to come.