The Enduring Value of “Old Skool” Tech in the Age of AI
Nigel Williams, Product Director, LexisNexis Enterprise Solutions
Let’s be clear, AI is exciting. From drafting contracts to predicting case outcomes, AI is often portrayed as the sci-fi superhero, ready to transform the legal world. However, amidst this innovation, two things are noteworthy. Foremost, at this stage, AI is very much in evolution mode. Secondly, as we adopt AI, it’s crucial not to overlook the enduring value of established technologies that deliver proven benefits within an understood cost and effort window.
Tried and tested legal tech remains the backbone of legal operations
When enticed by new technology – AI being an appropriate case in point, it’s easy to ignore or shift focus away from the well-established, backbone solutions such as case management, practice management, and so on. In legal practices, case management systems, for instance, provide a centralised platform for managing and tracking all aspects of a legal case, from ensuring consistency, and producing documentation, through to enhancing client communication; all whilst balancing automation and human intervention at their precise points of need.
As a result, these perceived “old skool” technologies offer a structure that enables all cases to be managed efficiently whilst reducing risk and providing data points that can inform future work, all at a commercially viable price point which is relatively easy to implement, in comparison to cutting-edge AI solutions. These considerations are crucial in a modern legal environment, after all, law firms are businesses, and without the backbone solutions to help realise efficiencies and enhance productivity through the likes of data management and automation, how can the true potential of AI be realised?
What’s more, for firms to make the most of AI, they need to properly consider how to make the best use of the technology. As we know, it is equally important to focus on the data being fed into the Large Language Model, as the advice coming out of it!
A case and matter management solution can help do just that, providing a process to normalise data, and integrate with emerging AI tools. As a result, firms are able to enhance the capabilities of such mainstream, tried and tested solutions, without the need to overhaul existing infrastructure. This combination of time-honoured and budding technologies creates a powerful synergy that maximises efficiency and effectiveness.
Realising the AI hype and reality check
While the hype surrounding AI is undeniable, equally undeniable is its promise. Take LexisNexis Protégé, a trusted, personalised legal assistant that will adapt to the lawyer’s workflow and understand their tasks, choices and previous work, to deliver tailored support that’s aligned to their style and practice area. There are AI-driven tools that have indeed made legal research faster and more efficient, showcasing AI’s potential to unlock new possibilities.
Despite these advancements though, will we ever reach that “mic drop” moment when AI completely takes over the legal landscape? Remember the introduction of the 2007 Legal Services Act, and the much-touted “Tesco Law” that was going to annihilate the law firm market segment? Almost two decades on, the industry has indeed seen a positive change with new entrants and innovative ways of delivering legal services – but, despite the hysteria at the time, to a large extent, it is very much business as usual, enriched with improvements.
The same applies to AI. It undoubtedly goes down in history as among the most powerful technology breakthroughs yet, but it isn’t a magic wand. Similar to any radical innovation, its adoption requires careful thought, preparation, and understanding to truly unlock its potential.
Balancing innovation and tradition to strengthen AI and human intelligence
The key to successful technology adoption is finding the right balance between innovation and convention. Most current legal AI tools are designed to assist at a granular level in the legal process – often focused on providing document-centric expertise. Whether that be creation or analysis, they must be explored and adopted based on the value they provide, and how they complement the service delivery.
At the same time, fundamental technology systems such as case management systems (among others, of course) are equally important. They are perfect at handling routine, predictable processes and workflows to ensure service delivery is optimised and customer experience enhanced. In this world, the more experienced personnel undertake the ‘out-of-the-norm’ and more challenging activities.
By leveraging AI for these exceptions and unique challenges, firms can free up human resources for more strategic tasks, improving the quality of legal services, and indeed growing the business. This fast-developing partnership between AI, traditional tech, and human workers, will allow firms to leverage the strengths of new and “old skool” technologies, and human intelligence in equal measure.
Embracing the full spectrum of legal technology
In the race for innovation, it’s important not to forget the power and enduring value of proven technologies that are indispensable to business operations. These well-established systems have been continuously enhanced and augmented over the years, incorporating incremental technological breakthroughs to help firms adapt to changing business demands.
Generative and agentic AI is understandably captivating our attention today, as it represents a major advancement in a diverse technological ecosystem. However, across the IT landscape, numerous sophisticated technologies exist and are being continuously advanced to deliver substantial, measurable benefits – many of which complement the evolving AI solutions.
If we phrase it in simpler terms – AI is a brilliant soloist, within the orchestra of well-established technology that keeps the music (aka business operation) going – which when combined, creates a stunning concert.
Achieving true technological leadership requires an appreciation and understanding of the full spectrum of innovation – from the carefully optimised systems that power daily operations, to the emerging capabilities that will shape the future. Both types of lexsystems and technologies require equal consideration and attention.
