Jul 25, 2024 | AI

Thomson Reuters employees who connected with customers at the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Meeting & Conference in Chicago are sharing their takeaways from the event.

“There was a significant focus on the practical application and optimization of generative AI,” said Valerie McConnell, senior director, CoCounsel, Thomson Reuters. “AALL attendees wanted to learn how to use AI tools in the most effective ways possible. They were looking for strategies to integrate generative AI seamlessly into their workflows. This shift in dialogue reflects a growing maturity in the adoption of AI, highlighting a readiness to leverage these technologies to their fullest potential.”

Rachel Beithon, senior product manager, Westlaw AI & Analytics, Thomson Reuters, also noticed attendees’ heightened interest in AI tools.

“I was a little concerned that after the last 18 months of near-constant AI discussion in the legal industry that there might be some fatigue setting in,” Beithon said. “But people were so eager to talk more about generative AI solutions.”

Claims Explorer, the new generative AI skill in Westlaw Precision with CoCounsel that launched during AALL, was among the solutions sparking conversations with attendees.

“They were absolutely thrilled with Claims Explorer and its use cases,” Beithon said. “It was obvious how much time this would save when doing the often-arduous task of exploring potential claims.”

CoCounsel was also generating buzz.

“One of the most frequent topics of discussion during our CoCounsel sessions concerned our integrations with Microsoft products and document management systems,” McConnell said. “There seems to be a strong interest in using generative AI seamlessly across multiple platforms and systems. Attendees recognized the potential efficiency and productivity gains from having CoCounsel work with the tools they already use daily.”

Generative AI enabling small-scale innovation

The law librarian community’s readiness to implement generative AI stood out to Zach Warren, manager, Enterprise Content, Thomson Reuters Institute.

“I’m intrigued by how much courts and government legal departments will play into this tech-enabled future,” Warren said. “I saw one presentation given by Judge Keven O’Grady of Kansas where he explained how his court built a ‘triage’ tool, helping categorize his family law docket into different pathways based on how much attention different litigants need. It’s this sort of small investment that can pay huge dividends, and particularly with GenAI allowing for more small-scale innovation, I’m excited to see what courts and government come up with to do more with less in the coming years.”

Empowering the next generation of legal professionals

Beithon and McConnell were pleased with the feedback on their Day 2 session, “Summoning the Magic Words: Crafting Prompts to be an AI Wizard.”

“We both heard over and over throughout the conference how valuable that session was and how much more excited attendees were to try out prompting techniques in the Westlaw and CoCounsel Core AI skills, and to teach those to other users at their organization,” Beithon said.

“Attendees were not just interested in refining their own skills but were also focused on how to empower the next generation of legal professionals,” McConnell added. “There was a strong emphasis on teaching law students, associates, and new lawyers the art of prompting. This proactive approach to education and training recognizes the importance of ensuring that everyone in the legal field can harness the full capabilities of generative AI.”

Warren agreed, noting AALL’s optimistic tone.

“This year’s conference was shaped with optimism about the role law librarians can play as shepherds of this new paradigm rather than simply impacted by it,” Warren said. “This change comes as no surprise to me, as the Thomson Reuters Institute has noted that librarian and research positions are beginning to increase at law firms, reversing a long-standing trend. The crucial role law librarians play has been noted, both anecdotally and in dollars and cents, and law librarians know that now is the time to make their influence felt.”