Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024 - 31

LEADERSHIP IN THE AGE OF DISRUPTION
A
rtificial intelligence has been predicted to reshape
the legal profession, and in the past year, accelerating
technology has borne out some of the prognostications
about AI revolutionizing legal work and the way it
is performed.
Not too long ago, prompted by the pandemic, legal
professionals were forced onto virtual meeting platforms;
today they are beginning to unlock the possibilities
of AI and understand the risks of unchecked
reliance on automated decision making.
It is clear that the practice of law in the future will be
driven by sophisticated technology requiring new sets
of skills from lawyers, and the District of Columbia Bar is
at the forefront of efforts to help members navigate this
new legal environment through education, training,
and thought leadership. From its AI summit to its new
AI-powered Lawyer Referral Service (LRS), the D.C. Bar
has embraced innovation and facilitated conversations
around game-changing tech and its impact on lawyers
and the law.
Developed by the Bar's Executive Office and Information
Technology Department in collaboration with
cloud computing solutions expert Aptaria, Inc., LRS
leverages next-generation AI and natural language processing
technology to match Bar members subscribed
to the service with clients seeking their particular expertise.
D.C. Bar CEO Robert Spagnoletti describes LRS as
" a significant step toward creating a modernized lawyer
referral service. ... [It] embodies the Bar's mission to
serve its members so they can serve the community -
and has the added feature of empowering individuals
with direct access to qualified attorneys. "
Positioning the Bar as a leader in understanding the
limits and possibilities of generative AI, the D.C. Bar
presented practical trainings and programming on AI
and its ethical implications in legal practice. Attended
by more than 100 legal professionals, the Bar's Artificial
Intelligence & Chatbot Summit in September 2023
brought together a wide array of legal tech and ethics
experts to explore current AI tools and what lawyers
need to do to both adopt and adapt in a fast-changing
legal landscape. The summit was followed by a threepart
series in January and February 2024 providing
attendees knowledge, direction, and hands-on experience
on the basics of AI and ChatGPT.
Throughout the year, the D.C. Bar demonstrated
that instead of waiting in the sidelines to see how
generative AI will shake up the legal industry, it was
going to empower lawyers to learn how to leverage
new technologies to secure their place in the future
practice of law.
The D.C. Bar delved into legal technology this fiscal year, hosting the Artificial Intelligence & Chatbot Summit featuring keynote speaker
William Eskridge, launching its AI-powered Lawyer Referral Service, and using AI-generated witness statements for the Youth Law Fair.

Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024

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