The Future of Technology in Litigation Support: Why AI Is the New Brief Writer
Common tasks handled by these AI-driven tools include document review, predictive analysis, summarizing transcripts, and helping craft litigation strategy. (U.S. Legal Support)
For busy legal teams, this can mean saving hours — even days — of repetitive work. (MyCase)
In short: AI is turning litigation support from a labor-intensive chore into a streamlined, tech-powered function.
Why AI now — the perfect storm in 2025
Several powerful forces have converged to accelerate AI adoption in litigation support this year:
- Surging data volumes. With digital discovery, emails, messages, and digital evidence, the amount of data in modern cases can be overwhelming. A recent industry survey found that 80% of litigation departments expect their case portfolio to grow over the next 12–18 months — and many worry about how to manage exploding data loads. (NALA) - Pressure on efficiency and cost. Corporations and law firms feel pressure to deliver results faster and more cost-effectively. AI tools reduce time spent on laborious document processing and contract review. (LawSites) - Greater comfort with legal-specific AI. Large firms — those with 51 or more lawyers — now adopt generative AI at nearly double the rate of smaller firms. (MyCase)
What once felt like sci-fi — an AI summarizing thousands of documents — now feels like standard practice. For litigation support, 2025 may mark the turning point.
What AI brings to litigation support — speed, scale, insight
I think of AI as a “legal intern on steroids.” It never tires, doesn’t bill hourly, and can plow through thousands of pages in minutes.
- Document review and summarization: AI can scan voluminous documents, flag relevant passages, and produce summaries. This dramatically reduces hours spent by staff on mundane tasks — freeing lawyers to strategize instead of scroll. - Predictive analysis & strategy support: For complex litigation, AI tools can identify patterns in prior case law, spot risk, and suggest plausible outcomes. These insights help shape case strategy early. - Transcripts and evidence synthesis: In multi-document, multi-witness cases, AI can quickly synthesize depositions, contracts, communications, and metadata — surfacing key threads that humans might miss under time pressure. - Cost control and resource allocation: By automating repetitive work, firms can reduce reliance on large support teams — and better allocate human talent for analysis, argument design, and client management.
In short, AI empowers litigation teams to operate with the speed and precision of a scalpel — rather than a blunt instrument.
Challenges: ethics, reliability, and human oversight
But AI in litigation support isn’t perfect. Much like a high-performance car that still needs a skilled driver, AI requires careful hands at the wheel.
- Errors and “hallucinations”: AI tools can generate inaccurate summaries or misinterpret legal citations. That’s risky in litigation where precision matters. Legal professionals must vet AI-generated content carefully. (Business Law Today from ABA) - Ethical and regulatory concerns: Law firms remain cautious. Even though many attorneys use AI individually, firm-wide adoption lags. (Federal Bar Association) - Liability risks: As AI tools take a larger role, questions arise about who bears responsibility when AI makes a mistake. Could AI-enabled work create new liability exposures? (Weil) - Integration challenges: Legacy systems, document management protocols, and data privacy rules can slow or complicate AI deployment. (Clio)
Thus, while AI accelerates workflows, it must be anchored by human judgment, ethical standards, and rigorous oversight.
A story from the trenches: how I saw AI transform a messy discovery
Last spring, I reviewed a discovery set that ran over 10,000 documents. Dozens of depositions, emails spanning years, and multiple file formats. At first glance, it felt like digging a beach — layer after layer of sand, with no map.
Then I ran the files through an AI-powered litigation support engine. Overnight, the tool produced a 30-page summary. It flagged hundreds of key documents, grouped them by topic, and highlighted inconsistencies.
It was like going from sifting through a beach by hand to using a magnet to pull out every nail. Suddenly, the key evidence was visible. That day, I realized AI is not just a tool — it’s a spotlight in the chaos.
The ethical frontier: balancing innovation and responsibility
As AI-assisted litigation becomes more common, firms and lawyers must weigh speed against safety. The legal community is increasingly aware of the need for strong governance. (Business Law Today from ABA)
Adopting AI tools should come with firm-wide policies. Legal teams must vet outputs, verify citations, and guard against inaccuracy. The future of “AI-powered litigation support systems” depends not only on technology but on ethics, transparency, and accountability.
What’s next — toward AI-first litigation practices
If current trends continue:
- More firms will adopt AI tools — not just for document review, but for litigation strategy, predictive analytics, and risk assessment. - AI may begin managing entire case workflows — from initial intake and evidence triage to drafting first-pass pleadings or briefs. - We’ll see hybrid teams: AI for grunt work, humans for judgment and persuasion. That combination may become the gold standard. - Ethical frameworks and compliance protocols will evolve alongside technology — perhaps even industry-wide standards for AI use in court filings.
Litigation support is transforming. The next wave will likely bring even greater speed, but only if we balance innovation with integrity.
Conclusion: why this tech evolution matters — and what to do
For practitioners and corporate legal departments alike, AI-powered litigation support is not a luxury anymore — it’s a necessity. As I have seen, AI can clear away mountains of data, reveal critical evidence, and give lawyers time to focus on strategy, not sorting.
But success depends on using these tools responsibly. Adopt AI, yes — but pair it with rigorous review, ethical awareness, and human judgment.
If you are a legal professional or firm leader, start asking: How might AI help us scale? What safeguards must we build? Where can we streamline work — and where must a human steer the course?
Call to action: I invite you to share your experiences or concerns with AI in litigation support. Comment below or reach out directly. Let’s build a conversation around the smart, ethical use of technology in law.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can AI replace lawyers in litigation support? A: No. AI excels at high-volume document processing, summarizing, and pattern recognition. But it lacks human reasoning, strategy, and ethical judgment. Lawyers remain essential, especially for analysis, case strategy, and persuasive advocacy.
Q: Is AI-generated work reliable enough for court filings? A: Not yet — at least not without human oversight. AI can misstate facts, mis-cite authorities, or “hallucinate” content. All AI output should be reviewed and verified prior to submission.
Q: What types of cases benefit most from AI-powered support? A: Complex cases involving large volumes of documents — mass torts, discovery-heavy litigation, multi-party class actions, regulatory investigations, or any case with large data sets. AI shines when scale and complexity overwhelm manual review.
Cowan Consulting, LC is a boutique professional services and consulting firm founded by Moses Cowan, Esq. Moses Cowan is a polymath and thought leader in law, business, technology, etc., dedicated to exploring innovative solutions that bridge the gap between business and cutting-edge advancements. Follow this blog @ www.cowanconsulting.com/WP for more insights into the evolving world of law, business, and technology. And, learn more about Moses Cowan, Esq.’s personal commitment to the communities in which he serves at www.mosescowan.com.
