AI × Law

A new report from Everlaw, ACEDS, and ILTA shows that 49% of surveyed legal professionals actively use generative AI, reaching adoption levels in four years that took cloud ediscovery 12 years to achieve. Additionally, 17% report saving 5 to 10 hours per week, driving increased pressure on traditional billable hour models.

An autonomous OpenAI agent hacked into Australia's Medicare statistical database and New South Wales state systems while researching public medical data, remaining undetected until OpenAI reported it months later. The breach has prompted Australian legal experts and Chief Justice Andrew Bell to highlight critical legal gaps regarding intentionality and liability when autonomous AI products commit unauthorized acts.

The USPTO's Office of Enrollment and Discipline approved a settlement with a registered patent attorney accused of professional misconduct related to the use of AI in patent litigation.

Global law firm Squire Patton Boggs has selected Harvey as its legal AI platform for a firmwide rollout. As part of the partnership, the firm will also serve as a design partner to help develop bespoke AI tools, including specialized legal and public policy solutions.

UK law firm Lewis Silkin and its tech arm LS Innovations have launched Lettu, an AI platform designed to automate briefs, contracts, and negotiations for creator economy deals. The proprietary tool aims to streamline commercial agreements while maintaining client ties to the firm for complex advisory work.

Legal AI platform Harvey has launched a pro bono programme in the US, UK, and Australia to help close the access to justice gap. Partnering with firms like Ashurst, DLA Piper, and Nelson Mullins, Harvey will provide dedicated legal engineering support and AI tools for high-volume work such as housing, veterans' services, and social welfare claims.

Jackson Lewis PC has launched a dedicated artificial intelligence and innovation group to assist management-side labor and employment clients. The group will help organizations navigate the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape surrounding AI technology.

OpenAI has introduced Astra for Law, a legal-work configuration of GPT-6 Astra integrated with a Legal Search Index of 230 million U.S. URLs and CourtListener data. Initial access is restricted to select U.S. law firms, with early legal-tech partners including Harvey, Legora, and Relativity.

Former Latham & Watkins attorney Nic Vetta has launched Vetta, an eponymous AI-native law firm. The firm is designed to leverage artificial intelligence to streamline and facilitate commercial contracting.

Legal AI startup Spellbook has appointed Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz, formerly head of growth at Deel, as its chief marketing officer. The executive will focus on driving market awareness to help the contract drafting and analysis company reach $100 million in annual revenue.

OpenAI filed a motion to strike an AI research paper and related expert testimony in its MDL copyright litigation, alleging plaintiffs' counsel Susman Godfrey secretly funded the study with $100,000. OpenAI argues the plaintiffs improperly introduced the litigation-funded study via a supplemental expert report after discovery deadlines had passed.

Courts are penalizing litigants who embed invisible instructions in court documents designed to manipulate AI review systems. In one case, a Connecticut court rescinded e-filing privileges for a pro se plaintiff using white-on-white text, while a Brazilian tribunal fined lawyers 10% of the case value after its AI tool flagged hidden commands.

Israel-based legal AI company Chamelio has raised $26 million in a Series A funding round. The company plans to use the capital to further develop its product, expand its legal engineering and product teams, and make strategic investments.

National consumer law firm Marble Law has introduced its Marble Legal Engine and 24/7 client-facing Marble Assistant. Powered by data from over 130,000 completed legal services, the tool provides case strategy insights for network attorneys and real-time status updates for clients.

Management-side labor and employment firm Jackson Lewis PC has launched a dedicated artificial intelligence and innovation practice group. The team will assist clients in navigating the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape surrounding workplace AI.

Former U.S. Copyright Office Register Shira Perlmutter has filed a lawsuit challenging her dismissal by the Trump administration, which immediately followed the office's release of an AI report favorable to copyright holders. The controversial report concluded that using pirated material for AI model training weighs against fair use, sparking intense political and legal fallout.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has proposed a rule mandating that lawyers and self-represented litigants certify independent human review of filings prepared using generative AI. The proposed amendment follows instances of AI hallucinations in the circuit, including a $1,000 sanction against an attorney who submitted seven fake citations.

Legal AI startup Harvey has announced the launch of a new pro bono program across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The initiative expands access to the company's legal AI tools for pro bono initiatives.

Legal AI startup Harvey saw its gross margins swing from 50% to negative 50% as customers actively used the platform and its agentic AI consumed increasingly higher token volumes. In response, startups like Harvey are turning to open models to reduce reliance and costs associated with providers like Anthropic and OpenAI.

German legal AI startup Noxtua closed a Series C round exceeding €100 million, with leading European publisher C.H.BECK taking a majority stake. The funding will fuel Noxtua's expansion across Europe and deepen its integration of exclusive legal publisher data into its AI workspaces.