AI in Your Practice: A Trial Attorney's Guide to Tools, Ethics, and Efficiency

The session will walk through how trial attorneys can adopt AI deliberately and responsibly, covering the key distinctions between public AI models like ChatGPT and Claude, closed-universe legal platforms like CoCounsel and Lexis AI, and all-in-one tools like Harvey and Eve. Drawing on firm experience, the presenter will break down a three-phase framework for AI adoption — from compliance and ethical guardrails (attorney-client privilege, data security, HIPAA considerations) to building on a strong case management foundation and finally deploying AI where it generates the most value. Attorneys will leave with a practical toolkit for evaluating AI platforms, understanding where public models are appropriate versus where legal-specific tools are essential, and how to use AI to increase efficiency without compromising professional judgment or client confidentiality.