Holding Redlich integrates Lexis+ AI to boost legal efficiency

National law firm Holding Redlich has officially integrated Lexis+ AI, a generative AI-driven legal research technology from LexisNexis, into its enduring operations. This follows 12 months of collaboration and feedback as part of LexisNexis' commercial preview program. The integration aims to enhance research efficiency and quality within the firm's legal practice.

Lexis+ AI is equipped with advanced features including conversational search, insightful summarisation, and intelligent legal drafting and document upload capabilities. These functionalities are supported by state-of-the-art encryption and privacy safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of sensitive data. All results generated by Lexis+ AI are backed by verifiable and citable sources.

Keren Smith, Chief Knowledge Officer at Holding Redlich, expressed enthusiasm over the integration. "The capabilities of Lexis+ AI, including conversational search and intelligent document drafting, will not only expedite research processes but also deliver efficiencies for legal practitioners," she said. Ms Smith cited a tangible example wherein a lawyer at the firm completed a legal research task in 30 minutes using Lexis+ AI, as opposed to four and a half hours through traditional methods.

In October, Holding Redlich hosted a Turing test which demonstrated that Lexis Argument Analyser, an AI feature within Lexis+ AI, could outperform human capabilities in suggesting relevant case law for legal submissions. The firm further explored the potential of AI-driven legal research through a series of Tech-a-Thon sessions in 2023, providing valuable insights and validating the technology's efficacy.

Ms Smith emphasised that while Lexis+ AI is a powerful tool, it serves as a complement rather than a replacement for legal professionals. "Used correctly, these tools will free up time for lawyers to focus on other important tasks such as building their client base. However, lawyers still need to read cases and maintain the same standard of due diligence, including verifying accuracy of footnotes and citations," she added.

Lexis+ AI is built on the technologies of Anthropic's Claude 2 and OpenAI's GPT-4, leveraging LexisNexis' extensive repository of 1.23 million court opinions, statutes, filings, and secondary materials. The platform allows for the automatic generation of various legal documents while ensuring human oversight for review and adjustments of AI-generated drafts.

Greg Dickason, Managing Director at LexisNexis Asia Pacific, commented, "We're thrilled to bring this transformative technology to our Australian customers. The Lexis+ AI solution is a proven, first-of-its-kind tool for lawyers and will dramatically improve the speed, quality, and effectiveness of their practice regardless of where and how they practise law."

Additionally, Lexis+ AI mitigates against the risks associated with generative AI in the legal sector, including infringing client confidentiality and generating documents with non-existent references. Prompts are encrypted and the model does not learn from them, ensuring the protection of intellectual property.

Holding Redlich anticipates that Lexis+ AI will generate significant efficiencies, potentially saving Australian lawyers an average of 11 hours per week across various tasks such as research, drafting, client communications, and case summarisation.

Ms Smith highlighted Holding Redlich's commitment to innovation, stating: "We are supporting the research and development of generative AI across the industry. LexisNexis is a key content provider, so their roadmap will be closely watched and will inform our own innovation programs so that we continue to deliver tailored legal solutions for our clients. As one of the first large law firms to adopt Lexis+ AI, we are pleased to see the efficiencies the tool has to offer."

The adoption of Lexis+ AI by Holding Redlich underscores the potential and promise of integrating advanced technology into traditional legal practices to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall service delivery.