Since the launch of OpenAI’s now-ubiquitous ChatGPT product in late 2022, AI has become the darling of the legal technology space, with companies looking to leverage AI and machine learning for everything from contract negotiation to compliance monitoring.
LexisNexis has always been at the forefront of this developing field, and our recent launch of Lexis+ AI shows how AI will forever change the way legal work is done. Above the Law recently spoke with Jake Nelson, senior product manager at LexisNexis, about his role of Lexis + AI in that transformation.
What is Lexis+ AI?
Lexis+ AI, released in October 2023, addresses some of the key use cases for AI in legal settings, including legal research and drafting. Lexis+ AI can also answer legal questions in a unique conversational format and summarize case documents based on available data and user-uploaded documents.
The tool is LexisNexis’ latest commitment to machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the company is unlocking the potential of legal tech by introducing Lexis+ AI as one of the first generative AI-based legal tech tools. We continued our tradition of pushing the limits. You can also cite and Shepardize™ sources.
Lexis+ AI leverages several large-scale language models (LLMs), including OpenAI’s GPT-4, and automatically selects the best LLM for the requested task. However, what makes these LLMs shine is the high quantity and quality of data used to train them.
“Unparalleled access” to legal data
Because of its reputation and history, LexisNexis has “unparalleled access” to legal data and extensive experience in managing that data, Nelson said. “Our content collection with access to data is the most exclusive and comprehensive on the market.”
While the idea that an AI product is only as good as the data used to train it is somewhat common in today’s LLM training discussions, Nelson believes that access to data is important for AI legal tech startups. I learned early on from first-hand experience that it was essential. Drive performance through predictive AI.
Upon completing his studies at BYU Law School, Nelson launched his own legal tech startup building machine learning-enabled products for the legal market with a focus on litigation prediction. Nelson said the startup had early successes, with one product predicting the outcome of a Supreme Court case with what he called more than 75% accuracy.
“But once we started trying to predict cases across a broader range of practice areas, we struggled to access the state court data we needed to train our AI models,” Nelson explains. “It took years, not months, to collect enough training data to predict cases across a sufficiently wide range of practice areas and jurisdictions.”
Recognizing how LexisNexis’ scale and access to data could create an environment conducive to creating cutting-edge legal analysis tools, Nelson connected with LexisNexis to create a product company specializing in AI development. I joined the organization as a manager.
Lay the foundation for success
In addition to LexisNexis’ ability to access and control all the data you need, Nelson highlights the company’s commitment to embracing new technology while maintaining the level of security and privacy that legal professionals deserve.
To ensure you take advantage of new technology in the best way possible, LexisNexis’ AI and Machine Learning team focuses on building a strong foundation with technology you’re already familiar with. The integration of generative AI into one of the company’s flagship products is no exception.
“Generative AI is appealing, and rightfully so. It has the potential to transform the practice of law,” Nelson says. “But it starts with a good foundation of extraction AI and how you can leverage content.”
What’s next for Lexis+ AI?
It’s been over a year since generative AI started making waves in the legal tech space. As aptitude increases over time, Nelson believes there is significant opportunity to continually improve the capabilities that Lexis+AI can provide.
The process of establishing a strong foundation remains a core part of how Nelson and his team pursue these improvements, as illustrated by the example of Lexis+ AI’s “Generate Draft” feature.
“When we were developing this feature, we wanted to make sure that you could work well at the paragraph and multi-paragraph level when creating complete documents. It gives you a strong foundation on which to build,” he says.
LexisNexis also took steps to help future lawyers become familiar with the capabilities and ethics of AI in the legal industry, offering free access to Lexis+ AI to students at ABA-accredited law schools.
“As universities and the legal tech industry, we not only have the opportunity, but also the responsibility, to mentor and teach the next generation of lawyers how to use AI,” Nelson says.
To learn more about the possibilities offered by Lexis+ AI and request a free trial, visit LexisNexis.com.
