What can AI do for a law firm?
At a law firm, AI takes over the preparatory work: searching sources, going through documents, writing drafts and updating clients on progress. The legal assessment stays with the lawyer.
There are two ways to do this. You use an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude yourself for summaries and drafts. Or you have an AI agent set up: a digital worker that is connected to your case management system and your knowledge base and prepares tasks on its own. What that is exactly is explained in what is an AI agent.
Which tasks does AI take over at a law firm?
AI takes over five kinds of tasks: legal research, contract review, draft texts, progress messages to clients and access to firm knowledge.
| Task | What the AI does | Which data is needed | Where a person reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal research | Finds rulings and statutory provisions for a question and summarises them | Your question and access to the sources | Every reference and every citation |
| Contract review | Compares a contract with your template | The contract and your template | The legal weight of each deviation |
| Drafts | Writes a first version of a letter or memo | The facts and your own examples | Content, tone and strategy |
| Progress messages | Tells clients about a milestone in their case | The status in your case management system | Substantive questions from the client |
| Firm knowledge | Finds the right template or protocol | Your templates and internal manuals | Whether the document is current |
Searching case law and legislation
An AI agent searches rulings and legislation based on your question, summarises relevant rulings and extracts the core consideration. You assess whether the ruling fits your case.
A language model can invent a ruling or reference that looks convincing. Open every source yourself and check the citation before it goes into a court document. The NOvA recommends always checking citations, case law and facts manually and using tools that state their sources.
Going through contracts and documents
You provide a contract and the AI places it next to your template. The outcome is a list with four kinds of findings:
- Standard clauses that are missing
- Provisions that deviate from your template
- Unusual provisions
- Terms that are used inconsistently in the document
The list supports your own reading. You decide which deviation is a risk for your client.
Drafts for letters and memos
AI writes a first version of a letter, a memo or a summary of a long file based on the facts you provide. Include your own earlier documents as examples, so the style matches your firm. What is a prompt shows how to build such an instruction.
Updating clients on progress
Clients want to know where their case stands. An AI agent connected to your case management system sends a message at a milestone, such as a scheduled hearing or filed documents, and reminds the client of documents that are still missing.
The agent gives no legal advice. A substantive question goes to the lawyer handling the case with a summary of the conversation.
Making firm knowledge accessible
Template contracts, court documents and internal manuals are often spread across folders and mailboxes. An AI agent with access to those documents gives staff the right template for their question, with a reference to the source document.
What does the Netherlands Bar say about AI in legal practice?
The Netherlands Bar (Nederlandse orde van advocaten, NOvA) has published "Aanbevelingen AI in de advocatuur" (Recommendations on AI in the legal profession), built around the core values of the profession. According to the NOvA, the lawyer remains responsible for the advice and for protecting the client's interests.
The recommendations ask, among other things, the following:
- Confidentiality: do not enter confidential data or client data into public AI models and know where data is stored and processed
- Consent and information: ask the client for consent to use AI in the case and inform clients about your firm's AI policy
- Review: never adopt AI outcomes without checking them
- Competence: make sure you have basic knowledge of generative AI, for example through training
The full text is on the NOvA website. This article describes the recommendations in outline and is no legal advice.
How do you handle confidentiality and the GDPR?
Your duty of confidentiality and the GDPR apply in full to everything you enter into an AI tool. For Dutch lawyers, the duty of confidentiality is laid down in Article 11a of the Advocatenwet (the Dutch Act on Advocates).
Choose the subscription deliberately. Check per provider whether your input is used to train models, how long input is kept and whether a data processing agreement comes with the subscription.
Know where the data is. The agents AI Agent B.V. implements run on your own infrastructure, preferably with a European host. You decide who has access and how long data is kept.
Make firm agreements. Record which tools are allowed and which data stays out. The Dutch Data Protection Authority received reports of data breaches caused by employees entering personal data into AI assistants.
What else the GDPR asks, such as a legal basis and an assessment of the risks, is described in using AI in a GDPR-proof way.
What can you do yourself today with ChatGPT or Claude?
With a business subscription to ChatGPT or Claude you can do four tasks faster yourself today, without integrations and without client data:
- Summarise public sources, such as a published ruling or a bill
- Rewrite an anonymised draft into plain language for a client
- Prepare a meeting with questions for an intake
- Have counterarguments formulated against your own reasoning, as practice for the hearing
Check every legal statement in the answer against the source.
Frequently asked questions
Can a lawyer use AI? Yes. The NOvA calls AI a tool for the lawyer, on the condition that the core values of the profession stay leading. The lawyer remains responsible for the advice and for protecting client interests.
Can I enter client data into ChatGPT or Claude? The NOvA recommends not entering confidential data or client data into public AI models. For any use involving personal data, the GDPR and your duty of confidentiality also apply.
Can AI make up case law? Yes. A language model can produce a ruling or reference that does not exist. Open every source yourself and check the citation. The NOvA recommends manual checks of citations, case law and facts.
Do I have to tell my client that I use AI? The NOvA recommends asking the client for consent to use AI in the case and informing clients about the firm's AI policy.
What does AI cost for a law firm? A 1-on-1 AI training costs from €449 excl. VAT. The implementation of an AI agent starts from €1,495 one-time, on invoice (as of October 2026). Read more about what an AI agent costs.
Using AI at your law firm?
Curious what a digital worker can prepare for a legal practice? See our AI agent for legal services. Prefer to become AI-proficient yourself first? You can with a 1-on-1 AI training. Or schedule a no-obligation call.
