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The basics:
- The platform aims to help users with questions such as divorce waiting periods, business structure comparisons or the eviction process in a particular state.
- It’s different from traditional search engines because it’s easier to use and is more tailored to a user’s specific legal circumstances, says FreeLawChat CEO Punith Kashi.
- The new technology is part of the growing trend of law firms integrating generative AI to improve efficiency.
As the legal industry continues to explore potential uses of generative artificial intelligence to boost productivity and efficiency, a Somerset County company is stepping up with a solution for potential client consultations.
Launched as a spinoff of Lawyer.com, an online directory and matching service focused on connecting consumers with qualified legal representation, the new AI-enabled offering, FreeLawChat.ai, aims to give law firms a time-saving way to improve the quality of communication with those seeking legal information.
A free chat service available on desktop and mobile, FreeLawChat.ai provides users 24/7 access to instant and free legal information in English and Spanish.
According to FreeLawChat Chief Executive Officer Punith Kashi, the platform does not offer legal advice and is not meant to be a substitute for the expertise of a licensed attorney, but rather, provides user-friendly information for basic legal questions.
Since the technology can communicate legal rules and apply them to a set of circumstances in very simple cases, FreeLawChat could field questions, for example, on the waiting period for a divorce, the pros and cons of a limited liability company compared to a corporation or what is the eviction process in a particular state.
“What we want to do is give them a quick and easy way to get to the next step of what they need – which may or may not be a lawyer. It’s not the be-all, say-all, but is meant to help consumers understand their rights, what kind of lawyer they should be looking for, what practice area and location,” Kashi said.
However, when it comes to determining the best course of action for an individual in a complex situation, legal advice from a licensed practicing attorney, who can apply the law to a specific set of circumstances, is essential. And, when – or if – the consumer decides to connect with a lawyer, Kashi said the encounter will probably be a more positive experience because they’ve been empowered with information in advance of that meeting and won’t be starting from square one.
After noting that legal jargon can often confuse the general public, Kashi said, “The cool thing about FreeLawChat is that it’s really, really easy to understand. It’s saying, ‘Hi, how are you? I hope you’re OK. And this is what you need.’ It’s more empathetic than a regular chatbot that doesn’t have AI, so I think that’s what we’re different with.”
‘I love you, AI’
After spending about two years building prototypes of an AI-enabled legal advice platform, Kashi said, “Eventually, we found the best combination of technologies that could enable consumers to get better legal information.”
What sets FreeLawChat.ai apart from traditional search engines from Google and Microsoft? Besides being easier to use and yielding instant results, Kashi said the information is much more tailored to the specific legal circumstances one is inquiring about, so a user won’t have “to go through 10 or 15 different links” of “confusing and contradictory information.”
Since the platform began beta testing over the past year, 9,855 people from 29 countries completed more than 20,000 chat sessions in four languages. Numerous users had over 100 chats, often on multiple legal issues and sometimes over months, Kashi said.
“One user even signed off from a chat saying, ‘I love you, AI,’” he recalled.
Since FreeLawChat.ai began beta testing over the past year, 9,855 people from 29 countries completed more than 20,000 chat sessions in four languages. Numerous users had over 100 chats, often on multiple legal issues and sometimes over months, according to CEO Punith Kashi. – PHOTO: CANVA
Because firms need to strike a balance between revenue-generating tasks and delivering exceptional service to clients, it often means inquiries from potential clients go unanswered.
Of the 1,000 law firms surveyed as part of report by legal technology provider Clio, only 40% replied to an email request. Thirty-nine percent of phone calls went to voicemail, and more than half of firms didn’t respond to those messages within 72 hours.
When firms did get in touch, the majority were unable to provide adequate answers to the client questions designed for the study, according to Clio.
While FreeLawChat is still in beta testing, Kashi said the business is developing monetization plans for firms and other high-volume users, like law schools and universities.
“Currently, we have a chat widget that we are offering law firms and we are hoping they could pay for a subscription,” said Kashi.
“Sometimes consumers don’t know what kind of lawyer they need or what practice area that they’re looking for. I think this will be helpful for law firms to screen all this basic information and focus on only the next steps after consumers know what they want,” he said. “With FreeLawChat, it’ll be easier for clients to get the information faster and lawyers can now worry about more complex cases.”
As part of the package, firms will be able to add a custom widget to their websites, which will educate consumers with helpful legal information and instantly alert attorneys of promising referrals.
“We are also talking to state bars to see if they can put this on their website so they can get free help to people in that state,” he said.
Bridging a gap
After surveying 2,000 consumers about what potential clients expect when contacting a firm, Clio found respondents want upfront information about their case and insight into what to expect when working with attorneys. Timeliness is also important – 79% expect some type of response within 24 hours.
Commenting on the findings, Clio’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Jack Newton, said it shows that U.S. law firms are “remarkably out of sync with the needs of today’s clients.” He also said he hopes it “shines a spotlight on the tremendous opportunity awaiting consumers and lawyers – if lawyers can improve both the client-experience and firm-performance dimensions of their business.”
Kashi believes the technology is poised to dramatically improve access to legal information, particularly for a large swath of the U.S. population that doesn’t get enough – or any – help with their civil matters.
According to a report from nonprofit Legal Services Corp., a staggering 92% of low-income Americans are forced to “go it alone” without legal representation in disputes where they risk losing their job, custody of their children or need to seek a restraining order against an abuser.
Concerns about cost stand out as one of the biggest barriers, with 46% of low-income households citing it as the reason for why they did not receive legal help. Meanwhile, 53% did not know if they could find and afford a lawyer if they needed one.
“We believe in a world where access to legal information is a right, not a privilege,” said Kashi, who described the service as a “technological leap toward our goal of quality legal information for anyone, anywhere, anytime.”
92% of low-income Americans are forced to “go it alone” without legal representation in disputes where they risk losing their job, custody of their children or need to seek a restraining order against an abuser.
– Legal Services Corp. report
While not widespread right now, the use of generative AI is becoming more common at law firms, with a recent survey showing that nearly three quarters of attorneys expect to somehow integrate the technology into their practice within the next year.
As more and more lawyers turn to generative AI to handle routine functions – like document review, legal research and contract editing – they are able to focus on building client relationships as well as actually practicing law, instead of being bogged down by administrative work.
Online legal services have existed since the late 1990s, mainly offering databases for finding lawyers and providing access to materials and forms to handle basic legal needs. Now, thanks to AI, such offerings are enhanced, simplified and more accessible.
Some firms have self-service portals where clients can receive round-the-clock legal advice with systems that consider legal issues through a series of branching questions and answers, while other firm sites feature chat bots powered by AI to gather client information.
Given the buzz about generative AI, Kashi said he’s already heard from lawyers who are “extremely interested” in FreeLawChat and believe the technology will be “an amazing new tool to help them provide legal service faster.”
Overall, Kashi thinks the many uses of generative AI will help firms operate their business “but won’t be a substitute for a lifetime of legal experience.
“It’ll be a long time before AI can go into a court and argue a case or negotiate a complex litigation settlement,” he said. “I think generative AI will help lawyers provide more legal service and expand to a large number of people who have trouble getting to legal service.”
“It’ll be a long time before AI can go into a court and argue a case or negotiate a complex litigation settlement,” said FreeLawChat.ai CEO Punith Kashi. “I think generative AI will help lawyers provide more legal service and expand to a large number of people who have trouble getting to legal service.” PHOTO: CANVA
Amid growing industry interest in the technology, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently published preliminary guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in legal practice.
Developed by a special committee tasked with examining the legal and ethical implications that AI poses for lawyers, the framework is intended to inform and assist attorneys in navigating their ethical responsibilities in light of the current and anticipated effects of generative AI.
Despite a few incidents in other jurisdictions in which attorneys improperly relied on AI to generate content that resulted in the submission of briefs containing references to fake case law, the group pointed to reputable resources, like LexisNexis and Westlaw, that are integrating the technology and providing “faster, more reliable legal research and writing assistance.”
“Larger law firms are continuing to develop in-house AI systems while vendors are marketing AI-facilitated contract review and administrative support to smaller firms and solo practitioners. In this complex and evolving landscape, lawyers must decide whether and to what extent AI can be used so as to maintain compliance with ethical standards without falling behind their colleagues,” the committee wrote.
“The core ethical responsibilities of lawyers, as outlined in the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPCs) are unchanged by the integration of AI in legal practice, as was true with the introduction of computers and the internet,” the panel explained. “AI tools must be employed with the same commitment to diligence, confidentiality, honesty, and client advocacy as traditional methods of legal practice.”
“While AI does not change the fundamental duties of legal professionals, lawyers must be aware of new applications and potential challenges in the discharge of such responsibilities. As with any disruptive technology, a lack of careful engagement with AI could lead to ethical violations, underscoring the need for lawyers to adapt their practices mindfully and ethically in this evolving landscape,” the committee said.
Looking ahead
Lawyer.com – a 14-year-old Basking Ridge-based company that connects users with attorneys, offering smartphone chats and referrals – opted to make FreeLawChat a separate business for several reasons, according to Kashi.
“We wanted to have a team for it that can really focus on generative AI … it launched with a focus on the AI part so that we can grow into that part of the legal space,” he said. “As a spinoff, we are able to focus and move faster, which is particularly important in the fast-moving generative AI space.”
Over the next few months, Kashi expects to roll FreeLawChat out to a larger audience, as well as introduce “a lot of exciting enhancements.”
“We are going to offer a toll-free number for users to get free legal information via phone. We’ll launch that in English and Spanish for now, but we’re hoping to add Mandarin and Hindi to sell two enormous legal markets,” he said. “And we are already offering a widget, as I said, for law firms that they can put on their site.”
Founded by dot-com entrepreneur Gerald Gorman, Lawyer.com was a relatively unknown service until around 2018, when the venture decided it needed a celebrity to help raise its profile.
After compiling a list of 100 stars, the team picked actress Lindsay Lohan, connected with her and signed a one-year partnership. Under the terms of the deal, Lohan reportedly took “a large part of compensation” in company equity, making her an investor in the brand.
The Mean Girls star, who has been involved in more than a few court cases, embraced the role, saying in one of her many social media videos for the company, “When Lawyer.com first reached out to me, I was confused and a little scared, because I thought I was in trouble. But when they asked me to be their spokesperson, I was intrigued.”
“I know how hard it is to find quality legal help and this is a great opportunity to help people in need,” Lohan has also said of the partnership.
