For legal professions, the arrival of AI has been a game changer. In a sector defined by numerous texts, variables, and subtleties, AI offers significant time savings and helps reduce mental load. 

This was the topic of our roundtable discussion during our January AI Breakfast, where we had the pleasure of hosting:

• Gérard Haas - Digital, Data, AI, and Intellectual Property Lawyer, Haas Avocats
• Florence BUISSON-VINCENT - Legal Director, AI Legal Development, UIMM
• Pauline De Certeau - Director of GenIA-L Product and Digital Products, Lefebvre Dalloz
• Camille Fagart - Head of Sales, Doctrine

To learn about their feedback and how they use AI in their daily professional lives. 

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“In a world that is moving faster and faster, one might wonder if lawyers will still be wearing robes in the future.”

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Which AI applications are truly transforming legal practices? 

One of the recurring tasks in the legal sector remains document research: laws, regulations, and so on. There are numerous documents and subtleties, so finding the right information takes a considerable amount of time. 

Camille Fagart points out that one of the most popular use cases is legal research via a conversational interface. 

The professional explains their issue and requirements, and the AI suggests one or more relevant texts, citing its sources, intuitively and without spending hours on the task. 

But AI doesn't stop there; it can also provide analysis, assist with drafting, summarize legal documents, and more—in short, it provides operational support for the expertise of legal professionals.

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How can we build truly useful AI without compromising legal rigor and the reliability of information? 

Legal professions require precision; therefore, AI must always cite its sources so that every team member can verify the accuracy of the information provided by the agent. This reliability depends primarily on the quality and structure of the data fed into the AI. 

Beyond technical performance, an AI agent must also act as a bridge between the expert and the client. It should be capable of explaining, or even simplifying, complex legal concepts for non-experts. This is what we call "Legal Design."

Beyond having a high-performing AI, a needs assessment must be conducted beforehand to ensure the solution's capabilities align with the organization's actual requirements, while also complying with data protection and GDPR principles. Partnering with an AI solution provider allows you to receive guidance on these two critical aspects during deployment.

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What are the main risks associated with using AI in a legal context, and how can they be mitigated? 

Our four speakers are unanimous: the major risk lies in the lack of human oversight. Since legal advice is a professional service that carries liability, it is essential never to take AI statements at face value (beware of "hallucinations" where the AI invents facts).

Another issue is the protection of advice provided by legal professionals. A client might be tempted to take a report containing advice from their lawyer or legal counsel and input it into a "general-purpose" generative AI tool for summarization or explanation. Raising awareness among the general public and clients is therefore essential to maintain data security. 

One of the risks still present today is that of hallucinations, where the AI provides false information. It is therefore essential to have access to an AI assistant that knows when it doesn't know the answer and remains silent rather than inventing non-existent texts.

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How can a legal department integrate AI while ensuring security, compliance, and internal adoption?  

Integrating AI can be a challenging journey. For Florence Buisson-Vincent, the priority is data mastery: it must be relevant, recognized by legal experts, and secure. Beyond reliability and security, data must be "usable" by the AI, which requires significant work in structuring and drafting to ensure high performance. 

Teams are also a key factor; for an AI to be widely adopted, it must integrate seamlessly into employees' business processes and the tools they already use. It should fit "naturally" into their daily routine, featuring a simple interface and a focused set of truly useful functions.

These two main elements go hand in hand: an AI that is well-integrated into workflows while remaining high-performing and secure has every chance of being adopted!

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How will AI transform legal professions in the coming years? 

According to Pauline De Certeau, no legal profession will escape the impact of AI. It is the analytical aspect (particularly through agentic AI) that will revolutionize these roles, enabling the resolution of more complex issues by leveraging an almost infinite web of information. 

However, to truly unlock the potential of AI, the real challenge lies in getting trained and sharpening our critical thinking skills even further than they are today. 

Gérard Haas points out that over the next 10 years, 8 of the 10 greatest systemic risks will be linked to either the climate or digital technology. In a world that is moving faster and faster, one has to wonder whether lawyers will even be wearing robes in the future.

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If you had to give just one piece of advice to a legal professional hesitant about getting started with AI, what would it be? 

Florence Buisson Vincent: “For any lawyer who is hesitant, I would say: test legal and professional AI tools, benchmark them, and you will see that you can find real added value in AI. Test, test, test, and benchmark.”

Gérard Haas: “Go for it, go for it, go for it—and if it works, hire the best lawyers and they will defend you.” 

Pauline De Certeau: “You have to hurry up and take it slow!” 

Camille Fagart: “You have to dive in, that’s obvious. However, beyond just benchmarking, you need to ask yourself what is most important for your own legal department or law firm. Define your requirements, because there are so many players out there.”

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Conclusion 

While AI is undeniably reshaping the legal profession, it is not a magic wand. Successful integration relies on a demanding triptych: reliable data, a clear strategy, and constant critical thinking. Far more than just a tool, AI proves to be a performance driver, freeing legal professionals from repetitive tasks so they can reconnect with what matters most: client relationships and advisory work.

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Looking to empower your legal teams with reliable, secure AI? Contact us.