Tag Archive for: Small Law

Briefs, Bots, and Balance: A Lawyer’s Honest Take on AI

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Let me start with a confession: I don’t know exactly what artificial intelligence is. And I definitely don’t know what it will be a month—or a year—from now. That kind of humility feels important to say at the outset. Because this post isn’t about predictions. It’s about how our firm is using AI today, and how that usage is evolving organically with practice, curiosity, and caution.

🚫 What AI Is Not Doing—for Now

For starters, AI isn’t writing our briefs.

Could it someday? Possibly. But right now, that’s not optimal for a few key reasons:

  • Fictional citations are a real risk. Lawyers have gotten into trouble when AI-generated briefs included cases that don’t exist. A recent Georgia Court of Appeals case made that painfully clear.
  • The source material is often subpar. AI draws from existing legal writing, and much of it isn’t great. So the output tends to reflect that mediocrity.

That’s why I still write the briefs myself. The act of writing builds strategic insight, sharpens my thinking, and prepares me for court in a way that AI simply can’t replicate. It’s not just about the final product—it’s about the cognitive lift.

✅ Where AI Is Pulling Its Weight

AI is far from idle. It’s become a powerful tool in several areas of my practice:

  • Digesting the record. AI helps me achieve mastery over large volumes of case material.
  • Decoding bad writing. When opposing counsel submits confusing or poorly written documents, tools like NotebookLM help me cut through the clutter and surface meaning.
  • Big-picture comprehension. AI gives me a strategic overview of complex litigation records.
  • Tone-tuning emails. While it’s not great at composing emails, it helps soften abrupt language and improve clarity.
  • Strategic thinking. It’s a sounding board for brainstorming and bouncing ideas.
  • Warmth and readability. It helps make my communication more human, without losing precision.

🛶 Small Firms, Big Advantage

One of the most exciting aspects of AI is how it empowers smaller firms to compete with larger ones. Nimble firms that embrace AI can steer around obstacles like a kayak in rapids, while rigid firms may struggle to pivot—like aircraft carriers trying to change course.

If you’re constantly learning how to use AI, you’ve got a bit of a superpower. And that superpower is only growing.

🔍 Key Takeaways

  • AI isn’t writing my briefs—and that’s intentional. The cognitive work builds strategic insight and courtroom readiness.
  • Legal writing quality matters. AI reflects the quality of its source material, which is often mediocre.
  • AI shines in record digestion and comprehension. Especially when dealing with voluminous or confusing writing.
  • Tone matters in communication. AI helps soften emails and improve clarity.
  • Small firms have a strategic edge. Nimbleness and curiosity around AI can be a superpower.
  • This is a snapshot, not a forecast. My approach to AI will evolve—and that’s part of the process.

🔗 Recommended Reading

To deepen the conversation, here are a few curated links that support the themes in this post:

Scrappy By Design: How a Small Firm Tackled Georgia’s Longest Trial Transcript—And What it Means Today

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A few years ago, my firm—a small one at the time—was hired to take on the biggest appeal we’d ever seen. It was the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. The transcript? Somewhere around 50,000 pages.

There was no big-team bravado. Just me and an associate, acting as exclusive appellate counsel in consultation with trial counsel, who had spent a year in the trenches. We walked into court with our amended motion for new trial in hand.

Here’s how we got there.

We recruited three law school interns for the summer. Each one tackled a third of the transcript, preparing detailed digests of their sections. My associate then digested the digest. Together, we sculpted a comprehensive brief—built on raw record analysis, meticulous collaboration, and an obsessive attention to structure.

When we filed it, the lead counsel from the Fulton County DA’s office asked the court for an additional six months to respond. Their reason?

“We do not have the staff that defense counsel has.”

We laughed. Because “staff” meant three interns, an associate, and two tired brains running on caffeine and principle. What we did have was creativity, technology, and the kind of scrappy energy that doesn’t rely on headcount.

That same energy now fuels our civil practice.

Even before the world pivoted to remote work, our team was logging hours from coffee shops, home offices, and courthouses across the state. With smart use of PDF readers, messaging apps like Slack or Signal, and cloud-based case management software, we learned how to produce clean, effective work—without the bloat.

In criminal defense, thrift is a survival skill. Most cases are handled on a flat fee, which means there’s no incentive to bill endlessly. You learn to strip tasks down to what’s essential and make every moment count. That discipline stuck with us.

Today, even as we bill by the hour in civil litigation, we carry the same mindset: Keep things simple. Stay nimble. Leverage technology. Prioritize outcomes. Our bottom line is our clients’ bottom line.

We’re growing as a firm, but our philosophy remains. The lessons from criminal defense—the humility, the hustle, the lean architecture of smart lawyering—still guide how we operate every day.

At Our Core

We’re still the same lean, deliberate team that dissected 50,000 pages with a few interns and a shared sense of purpose. Whether we’re building out a defense in land development litigation or navigating the demands of civil trial work, we carry forward a truth learned early: Smart lawyering doesn’t require a big footprint—just a sharp focus and the will to move fast without breaking things.

And while the scope of our work has evolved, the spirit hasn’t. Efficiency isn’t just a cost-saving strategy—it’s our creative signature.

We’re not just building cases. We’re building a practice that stays lean, moves nimbly, and adapts boldly.

🔍 Key Takeaways

  • Lean teams can outpace large ones when strategy, tech, and focused execution are the drivers.
  • Internship programs, when thoughtfully managed, can meaningfully contribute to complex litigation.
  • Tech tools—from cloud-based platforms to collaborative apps—aren’t just convenient; they’re transformative.
  • Flat fee experience teaches discipline that translates into billable hour efficiency.
  • Growth doesn’t require bloat. Nimble lawyering is your firm’s competitive edge.

ADDRESS

199 W Jefferson St.
Madison, GA 30650

PHONE

678-610-6624

EMAIL

tori@scottkeylaw.com