In legal practice, speed matters but certainty is critical. This tension sits at the heart of how many law firms are approaching generative AI. Attention is turning to how it can be used to speed up legal research while maintaining trust, the ability to verify its output and professional standards.At Holding Redlich, a commercial law firm, the chief knowledge officer Keren Smith says the business is taking a strategic approach, selectively adopting AI tools into legal research processes, guided by healthy skepticism.“We haven’t rushed into it by any means,” she says. “We put our toe in the water early, prior to fully integrating AI into our legal research workflows.”Trust comes firstThat measured approach reflects a broader reality for law firms. Lawyers want to deliver faster answers and advice to clients, while also performing strongly in court, and being able to confidently account for every authority cited and conclusion reached.
Chief knowledge officer Keren Smith, Holding Redlich
Smith says Holding Redlich is very particular about the AI tools it adopts: they must be verifiable platforms, such as those offered by Thomson Reuters, grounded in trusted research. The ideal tool facilitates fact-checking to help ensure hallucination-free content.Before rolling out new tools, the firm developed an internal AI usage policy that staff must agree to before gaining access. Risk management, Smith says, has always been a priority. “Prior to rolling out any AI tool, you need to have a risk management strategy in place.”Holding Redlich gives lawyers access to AI-enabled legal research tools as well as ongoing training so they can effectively use them. Lawyers are taught traditional research methods alongside AI-enabled workflows, including how to frame prompts effectively and assess results critically.“We also train lawyers in precision prompting, so that they know which terms and phrases will return relevant research results. Knowledge of correct legal terminology is essential.”Smith says Thomson Reuters’ tools have helped to build lawyers’ confidence, and have particularly helped get junior lawyers up to speed quickly. Content on the legal research platform Westlaw Advantage Australia is updated daily and is linked to verifiable source material, ensuring research is current and accurate.“Thomson Reuters has always been a reputable provider of legal content whose services we have subscribed to and trusted for many years.”Faster, verified researchOnce those foundations are in place, the impact of AI can go beyond improving efficiency; it can reshape how legal research is conducted day to day.Smith points to a recent example involving a newly arrived lawyer who tested Westlaw Advantage Australia on a live task. Research that would ordinarily have taken more than three hours took about 10 minutes. In busy practice, time savings such as that can quickly add up.Just as important, Smith says, is the ability to verify outputs through linked citations and authoritative source material, rather than relying on opaque responses.James Jarvis, the vice-president of Westlaw product management at Thomson Reuters, says this is where many AI conversations miss the point.
