AI in the Courts: What Judges Are Using, How It Works, and Why Lawyers Need to Adapt (Presented by Above the Law)

This session examines the current state of AI adoption among legal professionals and the barriers preventing wider use. Panelists discuss the importance of AI literacy and professional responsibility requirements driving attorneys to engage with this technology.

Experts debunk prevalent misconceptions including the belief that AI is primarily about time savings and that one-shot prompting yields quality results. The session emphasizes why consumer AI tools are inappropriate for legal work and why AI output requires rigorous verification.

This comprehensive session introduces the sandwich method for AI use: human input, AI processing, and human verification. Panelists cover effective prompt building, confidentiality protocols, vendor vetting, and Judge McGee’s administrative order governing AI use in his jurisdiction.

The panel explores emerging technologies including agentic AI that iterates autonomously and custom GPTs trained for specific legal functions. Discussion includes judicial AI applications and innovative use cases like AI-generated victim impact statements.

Attendees have the opportunity to ask questions of the expert panel including Judge McGee, Jared Correia, and Josh Noffke. This interactive session allows for deeper exploration of topics covered throughout the presentation.