LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS AND ETHICAL PITFALLS: TESTING THE LEGAL LIMITS OF “ROBOLAWYERING”

A Note by Lee Walter

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Over the past several months, advanced machine learning algorithms called “large language models” (LLMs) have led to the creation of a variety of AI-powered legal software services.[1] LegalZoom leverages a simple LLM to interpret user responses to online questionnaires and generate boilerplate forms for estate planning and new business registration.[2] EU-based LegalAi uses the technology to provide prelitigation assessments of lawsuit validity to consumers.[3] And Casetext provides document drafting and review for attorneys.[4] But by far the buzziest and highest profile of these large language models is Open AI’s ChatGPT (short for “generative pre-trained transformer”). Launched in 2015, ChatGPT has rapidly become synonymous with LLMs, and many legal tech companies have already integrated ChatGPT into their platforms.[5] Most recently, Casetext announced a contract with Am Law 20 firm DLA Piper to provide a ChatGPT-powered … Read the rest

I THINK YOU ARE MUTED, YOUR HONOR: THE RISE OF REMOTE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND WHAT IS IN STORE

A Note by Austin Bull

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On October 28, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s new focus on the “metaverse.”[1] Facebook and its counterparts now belong to Meta Platforms, Inc. and will emphasize and move toward a virtual reality future.[2] This novel endeavor came about a year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to adapt to new, remote mediums.[3] Digital landscapes became an immediate necessity rather than a distant, futuristic concept.[4] Many industries were affected; the legal sector was no exception.[5]

In an unprecedented fashion, law firms and courtrooms alike moved entirely remote.[6] For the first time, depositions, hearings, and even entire trials were conducted by video conference from participants’ homes.[7] Attorneys and their clients no longer commuted to an office but instead conducted their business through programs such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.[8]Read the rest

Keeping an AI on Technological Advances in Business Law

By Elizabeth Rice

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This Note explores the role that artificial intelligence plays in the legal world today and the ways in which it may affect the legal profession in the future.  Artificial intelligence programs are being used in a variety of ways to streamline legal research, contracts analysis, and many other tedious and time-consuming legal processes.  As this technology develops, many lawyers are concerned that these efficient programs will begin to replace lawyers, especially at the lower level of big law firms, while others welcome the benefits that this technology will bring to law firms.  This Note touches on competing views concerning the implications of the use of artificial intelligence in the legal field, and how the implementation of these programs will ultimately benefit the profession as a whole.… Read the rest

Happiness and its Effect on Economic Development and Business Profitability

Introduction

“Policy decisions at the organizational, corporate, and governmental levels should be more heavily influenced by issues related to well-being––people’s evaluations and feelings about their lives.”[1]  This recent trend in economic development literature, that policy decisions at the government and corporate level should be influenced not by profit maximization but their effect on people’s subjective well-being, is gaining acceptance in the real world.  Empirical research and analysis shows that policy aimed at improving workplace happiness not only has an impact on employees subjective feelings of well-being, but also improves worker productivity and by extension corporate profitability.    

How Do Happiness Studies Work? 

Because “happiness” is not a quantifiable variable, there are numerous ways in which researchers control for the subjective aspect of one’s reported happiness.  A typical happiness survey consists of simply asking respondents, “all things considered, how happy are you with your life?”. [2]  To control for the fact Read the rest