I hope everyone bagged enough Halloween candy last night to last them through to the US Thanksgiving dinners. Hard to believe it is November, but apparently I say that every year.

This week in legal tech news had some interesting acquisitions like Harbor acquiring Ascertus, as well as new partnership announcements like Spellbook using Thomson Reuter’s Practical Law data to enhance its drafting tools. Law firms are also coming to the realization that they can’t just buy AI products and expect their lawyers and other professionals to just jump in and become prompt engineers. So, you’re seeing more and more stories lately on the training needed to teach the AI skills necessary to actually take advantage of these very expensive tools.

There is also some trending news over a number of weeks now that show a growing disbelief that AI tools are actually going to help solve the justice gap in the United States. I don’t think this surprises anyone that has been following these trends, but once again, the legal market really doesn’t seem to be very interested in tackling this problem whether it is with AI tools or any other approach to the lack of access to justice. Same problem, different year. I’m sure one of those prediction betting sites has high odds that this time next year, we’ll have additional articles on why advancements in legal technology still can’t shrink the access to justice gap.

Remember, you can track these stories with the AI Lawyer Talking Tech podcast (Spotify or Apple) which covers legal tech news and summarizes stories on a daily basis.

Harnessing RAG Models in Legal Industry
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models are transforming legal workflows by pairing large language models with information retrieval systems to produce more reliable responses grounded in verified data, addressing common “hallucination” issues. RAG’s potential is seen in document drafting and research enhancements.
Source: 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

Spellbook Partners with Thomson Reuters for Enhanced Contract AI
Canadian legal tech company Spellbook has integrated Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law database, providing users with comprehensive contract drafting resources. This collaboration aims to improve accuracy and efficiency in contract creation, leveraging AI to streamline legal drafting and research.
Source: Artificial Lawyer

Harbor Expands with Acquisition of Ascertus in the UK
US legal tech provider Harbor acquired Ascertus Limited, a UK-based legal technology services provider. This acquisition strengthens Harbor’s global presence and enhances its expertise in document and email management solutions, expanding its iManage user base and service offerings.
Source: Legal Technology News​

Law Firms Expand AI Training Programs
Major UK law firms, including Allen & Overy and Freshfields, are now offering AI-focused training programs for lawyers. These initiatives aim to prepare legal professionals for the changing landscape by focusing on practical skills in legal research, drafting, and analytics using AI tools.
Source: LawCareers.net

Popup AI Training for Law Firms Launches
Popup AI’s new on-demand training program for law firms demystifies AI through courses on prompt engineering, document automation, and ethical AI implementation. This program is accessible for all technical levels, aiming to foster AI literacy across law practices​.
Source: MyShingle

Big Law and Innovation: The Struggle Continues
A Forbes report discusses Big Law’s complicated relationship with innovation. Despite heavy investments in legal technology, billable hour models and a risk-averse culture impede real progress. Firms are beginning to explore alternative billing models to support long-term tech adoption​.
Source: Forbes​

Legal CRM Challenges and Solutions
An analysis highlighted law firms’ struggles with legal CRM adoption due to issues like low user engagement and lack of integration with other tools. However, with clear objectives and tailored training, firms can enhance client relationships and improve internal communication, showcasing the critical role of technology in transforming client services in law firms.
Source: JD Supra

End-to-End Document Creation Gaining Traction in Legal Tech
A shift toward full-spectrum document automation is underway, aiming to automate the entire document creation process. By integrating client intake, data gathering, and final drafting, this approach reduces time and errors, allowing legal professionals to focus on strategic work.
Source: Artificial Lawyer​​

Legal Marketing Association Awards Recognize Jackson Walker’s AI Innovations
The Legal Marketing Association recognized Jackson Walker and CMO Barbara Bell Malin for innovative use of AI in client communications and intake processes at the Your Honor Awards. This highlights a growing trend of AI adoption in law firm marketing, as firms of various sizes integrate AI to improve client interaction and streamline operations.
Source: Jackson Walker L.L.P

OpenAI Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Biometric Data Collection
A new lawsuit claims that OpenAI’s ChatGPT collects and uses biometric data without user consent, potentially violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). This case could lead to stricter regulations on biometric data in AI, impacting how companies handle personal information in AI development.
Source: Internet & Social Media Law Blog

Megan Thee Stallion Sues Over AI Deepfake Use
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion has filed a lawsuit over AI-generated deepfake content featuring her likeness, raising concerns about unauthorized AI use in media. This case could set a precedent for future AI-related privacy and intellectual property claims.
Source: Blockonomi

AI Evaluating Judicial Decisions Sparks Ethical Debate
A new study proposes using AI to analyze the performance of human judges by evaluating decision consistency and potential biases. While this approach aims to improve judicial transparency, it raises questions about AI’s role in assessing nuanced legal judgments.
Source: Legaltech on Medium​