Issue 63 

Many lawyers who start exploring their options for AI tools eventually ask, “should I use a general-purpose AI tool like ChatGPT, or should I use a legal-specific AI tool?” The answer requires lawyers to go beyond considering cost to also evaluate their professional responsibilities, and how an AI tool can best serve their law practice.   

Why the Type of AI Tool Lawyers Use Matters 

Here are three reasons that the type of AI tool lawyers use matters: 

Confidentiality

First, the type of AI tool lawyers use matters because lawyers have professional obligations they must align with their technology use. Among other rules of professional responsibility, lawyers should consider American Bar Association (“ABA”) Model Rule 1.6 in conjunction with their AI use, as it requires lawyers to keep information that relates to the representation of clients confidential. 

AI tools offer a wide range of data confidentiality and privacy protections. At one end of the spectrum, typically the consumer-grade versions of general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude often lack data protection policies that align with lawyers’ professional responsibilities. Some examples of ways consumer-grade general-purpose AI tools might use the information you share include: 

• Your information could be used to train the AI tool company’s AI models; 
• Your information could be shared with third parties for commercial purposes; and 
• Your information could be subject to discovery in a lawsuit involving the AI tool company. 

At the other end of the spectrum, AI tools that have been created specifically for lawyers, as well as general-purpose AI tools that are marketed as enterprise-grade often provide a higher level of data security protections. For example, some legal-specific AI tools and some enterprise plans for general-purpose AI tools offer zero data retention policies, which typically means that the AI company agrees not to store your input data or the AI tool’s output data. 

Some law firms have opted to permit workplace use of consumer-grade general-purpose AI tools, paired with a policy that prohibits inputting any confidential client information. This type of policy requires an error rate of zero, because once confidential data is entered into an AI tool that will not keep it private and secure, it typically cannot be deleted or otherwise undone.  

Before a law firm authorizes the use of an AI tool for legal work, the data privacy and security policies of the AI tool should always be evaluated.  

Cost

The type of AI tool lawyers use also matters because the cost of an AI tool can vary from free to hundreds of dollars per month or more. A consumer-grade plan for ChatGPT could be $0 to $20 per month per user. General-purpose AI tools often offer different tiers of service, ranging from free/low-cost, to more costly enterprise and business monthly plans. While there are some exceptions, in general, as the cost of an AI tool used by lawyers increases, the data confidentiality and privacy protections also often increase.   

Learning Curve and Impact on Workflow

Finally, the type of AI tool a lawyer selects matters because different AI tools will have significantly different learning curves. Some lawyers spend many hours attempting to craft more effective prompts for AI tools, and some law firms offer libraries of prompts to assist their lawyers. Typically, general-purpose AI tools used by lawyers will require an investment of time to learn how to craft effective prompts, also known as legal prompt engineering. In contrast, some legal-specific AI tools automate the process of prompting, or do not require prompting at all. For some lawyers, an investment in time in legal prompt engineering may feel worthwhile, while some law firms may decide that lawyers are more likely to use an AI tool that is easier to use. 

Along with possibly offering more robust data confidentiality and privacy protections, some legal industry AI tools offer workflow integration benefits compared to general-purpose AI tools. Many new AI tools will alter a lawyer’s workflow. Some lawyers may be happy to integrate new tools into their workflow, while for other lawyers, it may be critical to select an AI tool that embeds with other software the lawyers are already using.  

The Claude for Legal Distinction 

In May 2026, Anthropic (maker of the general-purpose Claude AI models) announced its release of 12 plugins related to legal practice, as well as 20 connectors that integrate Claude with other software tools commonly used by lawyers, including Microsoft Word.  

This option is currently unique, in that it offers a relatively accessible opportunity for lawyers to self-customize a general-purpose model in relation to their needs. Some more tech-forward lawyers may prefer this option, and its potentially lower price tag, while other lawyers may prefer ready-made AI tool options offered by numerous other companies, and their potentially smoother user experiences.   

In June 2026, Anthropic announced that some of its newly released AI models would be subject to a 30-day data retention and review period, even for customers with zero data retention agreements. Additionally, Anthropic offers various plans with differing pricing and security levels. As with any other AI tool, lawyers should conduct their own evaluations of the risks associated with using Claude for Legal with their desired models and at their desired pricing/security plan before using it on substantive legal work tasks.  

What General-Purpose AI Tools Do Well 

General-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT do many tasks relatively well. Some examples of tasks that lawyers could find value in using a general-purpose AI tool include: 

• Initial drafts of legal documents; 
• Extracting information from existing documents; 
• Brainstorming arguments; and  
• Summarization of data. 

For some lawyers, general-purpose AI tools are attractive because they offer the flexibility to do lots of different tasks with one AI tool. Additionally, independent evaluations of general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT have shown that the output from general-purpose AI tools and legal specific AI tools often have similar levels of accuracy. However, just because a general-purpose AI tool like ChatGPT could add value to tasks like those described above does not mean that it is necessarily appropriate to use a general-purpose AI tool for the task, if doing so would involve disclosing confidential client information to an AI tool that will not keep it secure. Lawyers have a duty to exercise judgment about how AI tools can be used in a law practice in alignment with their professional responsibilities.   

What Legal-Specific AI Tools Do Well 

Legal-specific AI tools typically add value beyond what consumer-grade general-purpose AI tools can offer in two main ways. First, as discussed above, many legal-specific AI tools offer greater data privacy and security protections than consumer-grade general-purpose AI tools. Second, many legal-specific AI tools can offer better workflow support than general-purpose AI tools. Legal-specific AI tools may embed or integrate with other technology already used by a law firm, and may offer templates or automate the prompting process. However, with both general-purpose and legal-specific AI tools that generate written output, lawyers need to keep in mind that inaccurate output, commonly known as hallucinations, is always a risk, and AI output should never be relied upon without independent verification of the accuracy.  

Common Misconceptions about AI Tools for Lawyers

Misconception #1: Legal AI tools are always more accurate

Some lawyers assume that a legal industry AI tool will be more accurate than a general-purpose AI tool for legal work. However, recent independent studies and benchmarks have demonstrated that it’s typically a toss-up whether a general-purpose AI tool or a legal industry AI tool will provide more accurate output. 

Misconception #2: Legal AI tools are all too expensive

Some lawyers have rejected the idea of using a legal-specific AI tool because they assume they are all too expensive. While some legal-specific AI tools cost hundreds of dollars or more per seat per month, others are free or relatively reasonably priced. Lawyers who want to make confident and informed decisions about AI tool selection should go beyond making decisions based solely on the cost of the AI tool, and should take the time to estimate the financial impact of the AI tool on their practice. 

Misconception #3: One best tool fits every practice

Some lawyers assume that one of the hundreds of AI tools on the market for lawyers is “best”. In reality, the best AI tool for your law practice may be very different than the best AI tool for your biggest competition. The best AI tool for your unique practice will depend on your firm’s technology improvement priorities, existing technology resources, and culture surrounding technology. You can select the best AI tool for your law practice by following a structured evaluation process to identify your priorities and then find the best AI tools to meet your most pressing needs, rather than starting with the AI tools while lacking clarity about what will best serve your practice.  

A Better Question 

Many lawyers understandably select their first AI tool based on cost, and from a small pool of AI tools with strong name recognition. Instead of asking, “do I need a legal-specific AI tool, or can I just use ChatGPT?” or “which AI tool is the best one?” consider going a bit deeper to ask, “which AI tool aligns best with my priorities and workflow?”   

If you're trying to evaluate AI tools responsibly, my CLE walks through a practical framework for assessing and implementing AI tools in legal practice.   

For a more comprehensive resource on AI competency, risk, tool evaluation, and a curated directory of over 250 AI tools for lawyers, you can learn more about A Lawyer’s Practical Guide to AI here.   

Thanks for being here.  

Jennifer Ballard
Good Journey Consulting