The Practical AI Survival Guide for Solo and Small-Firm Lawyers
I will be posting these chapters to my SubStack: Lawyer's AI Survival Guide
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to AI in Legal Practice
1.2. The AI Advantage for Lawyers.
1.3. A Lawyer's Guide to AI Hype vs. Reality
1.4. How This Book Can Help You
1.5. What This Book Does Not Cover
2. Foundations of AI for Lawyers
2.1. Key Terms and Technologies Explained
2.1.1. Machine Learning and Neural Networks
2.1.2. Natural Language Processing (NLP)
2.1.3. Large Language Models (LLMs)
2.2. What AI Is (and Isn't) Good At
2.3. How LLMs Actually Work (Without the Math)
2.4. Limits, Biases, and Hallucinations
3. Choosing AI Tools for Your Practice
3.1. Free, Freemium, and Paid Models
3.2. Do You Need a Specialized Legal AI Platform?
3.3. Evaluation Criteria: Accuracy, Usability, Cost
3.4. How Accuracy, Usability, and Cost Inform the General vs. Specialized Tool Decision
3.5. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Ethics
3.5.1. Privileged Information and Cloud Tools
3.5.2. ABA and State Bar Ethics Opinions
3.5.3. Redacting and Anonymizing Content
4. Prompt Engineering for Lawyers: Asking the Right Questions
4.1. Conversational AI and the Lawyer’s Mindset
4.2. The Centaur Paradigm: The Best of Both Worlds
4.2.1. The Five Centaur Principles for Lawyers
4.2.2. Centaur Lawyering Is Not Just About Efficiency.
4.2.3. The Importance of Centaur Lawyering
4.3. Anatomy of a Good Prompt
4.4. Iterative Dialogue: Getting Better Output in Rounds
4.5. Prompt Templates for Common Legal Tasks
4.6. Asking for Sources, Alternatives, and Explanations
4.7. Managing Risk: When to Stop Prompting and Start Verifying
5. Custom AI Agents and Bots
5.1. What Is an AI Agent?
5.1.1. Agents vs. Prompts: What’s the Difference?
5.1.2. Understanding Autonomy, Tools, and Memory
5.1.3. When Agents Make Sense—and When They Don’t
5.2. Practical Legal Use Cases
5.2.1. Legal Research Bots
5.2.2. Transcript and Document Summarization Agents
5.2.3. Intake and Client Communication Assistants
5.2.4. Calendar, Deadline, and Filing Monitors
5.2.5. Internal Workflow Automation
5.3. Building Your First Agent
5.3.1. Starting with Custom GPTs Inside ChatGPT Pro
5.3.2. The Power of Prompt Templates and Actions
5.3.3. Using Zapier, Replit, or Colab to Automate Outside the Chat Window
5.4. Tools and Platforms for Agent Creation
5.4.1. LangChain, AutoGen, and AgentOps
5.4.2. Replit, PythonAnywhere, and Streamlit for Hosting
5.4.3. Document Parsing Tools for Legal PDFs
5.4.4. No-Code Platforms: Zapier, Make.com, and UiPath
5.5. Risks, Limits, and Best Practices
5.5.1. Privacy and Data Security Considerations
5.5.2. Avoiding “Runaway Agents” and Infinite Loops
5.5.3. Logging, Auditing, and Human Oversight
5.5.4. The Role of AI Agents in Legal Ethics
6. Integrating AI Into Everyday Legal Workflows
6.1. Legal Research
6.1.1. Using ChatGPT and Claude to Draft Research Memos
6.1.2. Comparing Output to Westlaw and Lexis
6.1.3. Spotting and Avoiding Fabricated Citations
6.1.4. Statutes vs. Case Opinions
6.2. Drafting and Editing Legal Documents
6.2.1. Demand Letters
6.2.2. Motions and Pleadings
6.2.3. Contracts and Agreements
6.2.4. Reviewing and Editing for Tone, Style, and Structure
6.3. Litigation Support
6.3.1. Summarizing Transcripts and Depositions
6.3.2. Drafting Discovery Requests and Responses
6.3.3. Identifying Inconsistencies in Testimony
6.4. Client Communication and Education
6.4.1. Drafting Plain-English Explanations
6.4.2. Preparing FAQs and Client Handouts
6.4.3. Using AI to Simulate Client Questions
6.5. Marketing and Blogging with AI
6.5.1. SEO-Optimized Blog Drafting
6.5.2. Social Media Content
6.5.3. Newsletters and Email Campaigns
7. The Rise of the AI-Enabled Pro Se Litigant
7.1. How AI Empowers Self-Representation
7.2. The Changing Face of Access to Justice
7.3. Ethical and Strategic Implications for Lawyers
7.4. Impact on Court Procedures and Judicial Workloads
7.5. Collaborating with or Competing Against DIY Litigants
8. Avoiding AI Pitfalls
8.1. Spotting Nonsense: How to Detect Fabricated Output
8.2. Understanding Context Gaps
8.3. Risk of Overreliance and Complacency
8.4. Trust But Verify: When to Double-Check AI Work
8.5. Practical Ethics for Small-Firm AI Use
8.5.1. Client Consent and Transparency
8.5.2. Bias and Discrimination Concerns
8.5.3. Explaining AI to Judges and Opposing Counsel
8.5.4. Malpractice and Insurance Implications
9. Practice Areas Transformed by AI
9.1. Personal Injury
9.2. Consumer Debt and Small Claims
9.3. Criminal Defense and Traffic Court
9.4. Probate and Estate Planning
9.5. Family Law
9.6. Real Estate and Landlord-Tenant
9.7. Business and Startup Law
10. Future-Proofing Your Practice
10.1. Staying Current Without Burning Out
10.2. Using AI to Learn Faster and Smarter
10.3. Developing a Tech-Friendly Firm Culture
10.4. What’s Coming Next in Legal AI
Appendices
A. Prompt Templates for Common Legal Tasks
B. AI Tool Comparison Matrix
C. Ethics Resource List by State
D. Glossary of AI Terms for Lawyers
E. Further Reading and Continuing Education
Thomas Fox, J. D.
Fox Paralegal Services
Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
thomas@foxparalegalservices.com
TEXT ONLY: 502-230-1613
Voice: 606-219-6982
Disclaimer:
This information is for general educational and information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. I am not a lawyer. I can provide legal information but not advice. The difference is that legal information is equally applicable to everyone. Legal advice is tailored to your specific situation, and it is based upon a personal relationship of trust between you, as a client, and a lawyer. Your communication with a lawyer may be privileged and protected by law. Your communications with me are not. It is advisable to consult with a qualified attorney in your specific jurisdiction for guidance on your legal rights and obligations. The laws of every state are different. Consulting with experienced local counsel is essential. If you are involved in litigation, I urge you to seek legal counsel.
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