This section introduces three categories of generative AI tools that law students and researchers may encounter in academic or professional settings. Whether you're just beginning to explore these tools or already using them in your studies or work, this guide provides context for understanding how they function and what they can and cannot do.
As of late 2025, the legal technology market has exploded with more than 500 generative AI tools, including more than 100 promoting "agentic" features. This guide is not intended to cover them all. Instead, it focuses on tools that (1) UC Davis Law students can access, (2) offer free or discounted educational access, or (3) are generating significant discussion in the legal field.
The categories used in this guide -- foundational, specialized, and agentic -- are a framework. Many tools blur these lines, and vendors often rebrand as they add new features. Agentic features, such as planning, adapting, or performing multi-step tasks, are being widely promoted as the newest development. While these claims often run ahead of reality, the concept is shaping how companies describe their products.
Foundation models are large, general purpose AI systems trained on vast datasets that include internet content and publicly available sources such as books and articles. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can generate text, summarize content, translate language, and answer questions across many topics. Some models can generate citations or references when asked, but these may not always be accurate, complete, or drawn from reliable sources. Both the outputs and any cited materials should be verified against trusted sources rather than treated as a definitive answers.
| Tool | ChatGPT (OpenAI) |
| Description |
ChatGPT, first launched in 2022 by OpenAI, uses large-language models in the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) series to predict text based on patterns learned from massive datasets. It can draft documents, summarize materials, answer questions, translate text, and assist with research and writing. In 2025, OpenAI introduced the GPT-5 generation as the flagship model, with further refinement in the November 2025 announcement of GPT-5.1, which features two variants: GPT-5.1 Instant (optimized for conversational speed and clarity) and GPT-5.1 Thinking (optimized for deeper reasoning and more complex tasks). OpenAI’s o-series models (including o1, o3, and o4-mini) devote more computational steps to complex tasks, allowing them to follow longer instructions, evaluate more variables, and work through multi-part prompts with greater stability. In ChatGPT, they can also use built-in tools such as web search or Python when appropriate. OpenAI has also introduced “agent” functionality allows ChatGPT to carry out multi-step tasks using tools such as web browsing, file analysis, code execution, and workspace features for creating documents or other outputs. |
| Access | Free tier: provides basic access to ChatGPT’s current flagship model with usage limits such as message caps, slower response times, and potential wait periods during high-traffic hours. ChatGPT Plus ($20/month): offers faster responses, higher usage limits, priority access during peak times, and access to additional features such as file uploads and select tool or agent functionality. ChatGPT Pro ($200/month): designed for heavy or professional use; provides access to the most capable models available in ChatGPT, expanded usage capacity, and support for more advanced features, including complex agent-based workflows. Note: Model availability and feature sets may change; users should consult OpenAI’s current pricing page for the most up-to-date details. |
| In Practice |
A March 2025 article in Law Technology Today surveyed lawyers using ChatGPT for tasks such as document drafting, summarizing, client communications, legal research, etc., while also emphasizing the need for oversight and guarding against risks like bias, hallucinations and confidentiality breaches. In February 2025, lawyer and journalist Bob Ambrogi tested ChatGPT's Deep Research feature by asking it to assess the legality of the Trump administration's pause of federal grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs. Within ten minutes, the tool generated a 9,000-word memo outlining legal authority, potential legal challenges, case law, grant recipients' rights and remedies, and arguments for and against the policy's legality. It relied primarily on publicly-available sources. Ambrogi questioned how the tool might perform with access to proprietary legal research platforms like Westlaw or Lexis+. Read the full analysis on LLRX. In a separate comparison of OpenAI's Deep Research, Lexis+ AI, Westlaw Precision AI, and Vincent AI in February 2025, Ambrogi evaluated responses to a query about class certification appeal standards under California law. The focus was on the "death knell doctrine," which requires immediate appeal of class certification denials. Deep Research correctly explained the doctrine, Lexis+ AI omitted it, and Westlaw Precision AI returned a potentially confusing warning. Among the legal-specific tools Ambrogi tested, he found Vincent AI's answer the most complete. In May 2025, practicing attorney Carolyn Elefant described using ChatGPT’s Deep Research mode to draft a research memo on whether temporary utility entry onto property constituted a taking. ChatGPT summarized case law, Maryland statutes, and comparative authority. Andrew Perlman's 2024 article in Michigan Technology Law Review pointed out that ChatGPT might increase legal services access (e.g., lower cost, faster intake) but that it also raises questions about accuracy and professional responsibility. |
| More Info |
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Release Notes provide current feature updates, and its ChatGPT pricing and model comparison page outlines differences between free, Plus, and Pro plans. |
| Tool | Claude (Anthropic) |
| Description |
Claude is an AI assistant developed by Anthropic for text generation, document analysis, and multi-step task support. It can summarize, draft, classify, and interpret documents across long contexts. In 2025, Anthropic introduced a preview feature enabling Claude to create and edit files such as Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint slide decks, and PDFs directly within Claude.ai and the desktop app for higher-tier subscribers. Additional features include a browser-based coding environment (“Claude Code on the web”) and project-scoped memory options, with newer Claude 3.5 and 4.x model updates aimed at improving stability and performance in extended tasks. |
| Access | Free tier: provides basic access with usage constraints such as lower message quotas, slower response times, and potential wait periods during high-traffic hours. Claude Pro ($20/month): individual subscription with increased usage capacity, priority access during peak times, and early access to new features. Claude Max: higher-capacity tiers offering substantially expanded usage limits (e.g., approximately 5× or 20× Pro), priority access, and previews of advanced features; pricing typically around $100/month or $200/month depending on usage needs. Note: Model availability and feature sets may change; users should consult Anthropic’s pricing page for current information. |
| In Practice |
An October 2025 blog article from Clio explains how Claude is being adopted in law firms for drafting, research, contract review, and document workflows, but also emphasizes the need for oversight, verification, and attention to professional responsibility and confidentiality. In an April 2025 article, researchers described evaluating Claude using a benchmark based on questions from the Brazilian bar exam. Claude completed the questions under exam-like conditions and achieved the highest average score among the models tested. In a UK legal-analytics study in May 2024, Claude was used to classify summary-judgment decisions by topic, a task requiring interpretation of judicial reasoning due to the absence of built-in topical metadata. Claude reached an accuracy of roughly 87%. In an informal evaluation in March 2024, a law librarian prompted Claude to draft a legal memo from a hypothetical fact pattern. The model produced a structured draft with citations, and the evaluator noted that human verification of sources and analysis remained essential. |
| More Info |
Anthropic’s official Claude webpage provides current model information and feature updates, and its pricing page outlines differences among Free, Pro, and Max subscriptions. |
| Tool | Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) |
| Description |
Microsoft 365 Copilot is a generative-AI assistant embedded into Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It supports productivity tasks including drafting emails, summarizing meetings, creating presentations, formatting documents, and analysing data. Copilot draws on large-language models developed by Microsoft and OpenAI and adapts to user context within the Microsoft 365 environment. Latest feature updates include enhanced agent capabilities, extensibility in Copilot Studio, and new survey/“@mention” features in Excel and mobile apps. |
| Access |
For UC Davis students, faculty, and staff, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is available free of charge at https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat. Login requires UC Davis credentials and authenticates through Microsoft Entra ID. Using Copilot without this authentication means that data entered into Copilot may not be securely stored or protected. See the Copilot Product Brief from UC Davis Information and Educational Technology (IET) for more information. Paid tiers: Enterprise Copilot services that integrate into Microsoft 365 apps are available at additional cost through Microsoft but are not included in the campus license. |
| In Practice |
In April 2025, Microsoft highlighted Copilot use by Mike Morse Law Firm in Outlook and Word, combined with secure data sources, to draft legal documents. A March 2025 qualitative interview study showed that Copilot helped with routine work like meeting notes, email drafting, and summarization, but was less effective for complex reasoning or highly specialized workflows. In November 2024, global law firm DLA Piper reported using Microsoft 365 Copilot to streamline document creation, optimise workflows, and save up to 36 hours weekly on content generation and data analysis. In June 2024, Microsoft reported that global law firm Clifford Chance has adopted Copilot to streamline compliance and workflow documentation. |
| More Info |
The Microsoft 365 Copilot Release Notes page gives up-to-date feature and version information. Microsoft’s “AI for Legal Research: Tools and Best Practices” and "Using Microsoft 365 Copilot in Legal Departments" pages provides an overview of legal department use cases and governance considerations. |
| Tool | DeepSeek (Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd) |
| Description |
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company founded in 2023 that develops open-weight large language models for reasoning, text generation, and multilingual tasks. Its DeepSeek-R1 model attracted significant public attention when it was released in early 2025. Research evaluating R1 notes that while it can perform competitively on certain reasoning benchmarks, results vary depending on evaluation design, and independent reproducibility studies emphasize caution when interpreting comparative claims. |
| Access |
DeepSeek’s chatbot is available through chat.deepseek.com and via mobile applications. |
| In Practice |
A May 2025 report described DeepSeek's incorporation into legal practice and judicial workflows in China. Large firms, including Yingke Law Firm, have integrated DeepSeek-R1 into internal systems for regulatory research, case library search, contract services, and client matter intake, supported by domain-specific tuning of the model. Judicial institutions have piloted DeepSeek use, and in March 2025 China’s Judicial Convenience Platform added DeepSeek to provide online legal-consultation services. A March 2025 post on the Criminal Law Library Blog, Evaluating DeepSeek for Legal Research: Capabilities, Risks, and Comparisons explored DeepSeek’s application in legal research. The article noted that while the tool is fast and multilingual, its limited citation transparency, jurisdictional accuracy, and regulatory risks may pose challenges for U.S. legal professionals. In a February 2025 technical blog post, SkyPilot detailed a pilot retrieval augmented generation (RAG) system built using DeepSeek R1 for legal document workflows. They found R1 performed poorly at retrieval tasks but strong at generation. In China, DeepSeek has been used in public administration. As of early 2025, DeepSeek‑R1 was locally deployed for document drafting and policy interpretation in several municipal government units (e.g., Shenzhen, Foshan, Beijing), with “AI civil servants” assisting across districts. Also in early 2025, governments in the U.S., Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Italy imposed restrictions or bans on the use of DeepSeek due to concerns about national security and data privacy. Some U.S. federal agencies have blocked use on government devices, and legislators have introduced bills in the House and Senate to formalize broader restrictions. In April 2025, a U.S. House select committee report warned of potential ties between DeepSeek’s backend infrastructure and Chinese military-linked firms. |
| More Info | For updates and model access, visit the DeepSeek website, Hugging Face profile, or GitHub repository. |
| Tool | Gemini (Google DeepMind) |
| Description |
Gemini is Google DeepMind’s family of multimodal AI models capable of processing text, images, audio, video, and code. Gemini integrates across Google products, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Search, Maps, and Android, and is accessible through the Gemini web interface, mobile apps, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI . |
| Access |
For UC Davis students, faculty, and staff, Gemini for Education is included free with Google Workspace accounts. The educational version includes enterprise-grade data-protection assurances (chat/files not used to train Google’s generative models) and defined usage limits (e.g., 1,000 uses/month, 10 Deep Research reports/month). Free tier: users can access Gemini at gemini.google.com with a Google account; availability of features varies by region and usage limits apply. |
| More Info |
See the Gemini Product Brief from UC Davis Information and Educational Technology (IET) for local guidance. For official model updates, release information, APIs, and subscription options, visit Google DeepMind’s Gemini page or Google AI Studio. |
| Tool | Grok (xAI) |
| Description |
Grok is a conversational LLM-based assistant developed by xAI (founded by Elon Musk). It can access real-time information from the web and the social-media platform X (formerly Twitter). It is designed for a range of tasks: answering questions, brainstorming, coding, generating documents, and, via add-ons, image/video generation. On November 17, 2025, Grok announced that its latest LLM, Grok 4.1, is available to all users. The name “Grok” draws from a verb coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, meaning "to understand profoundly and intuitively." |
| Access |
Free tier: Provides limited access to chat models. Available via the Grok website/app and via X for certain user-tiers. Note: Model availability and feature sets may change; users should consult Grok’s current pricing page for the most up-to-date details. |
| In Practice | National Law Review’s AI Governance Series uses Grok as a case study in how system prompt changes can lead to problematic or extremist outputs. |
| More Info | xAI's "Latest News" page provides Grok updates, and its pricing page outlines differences between free and paid tiers. |
| Tool | Llama (Meta AI) |
| Description |
Llama is Meta’s family of large-language models designed for general-purpose text generation, reasoning, coding, and, in recent versions, multimodal tasks involving text, images, audio, and video. In April 2025, Meta released Llama 4, introducing variants such as "Scout" and "Maverick," with a larger model called "Behemoth" in development. Llama models are distributed under Meta’s source-available license and frequently appear behind third-party tools, hosted APIs, and research platforms. |
| Access |
Llama models can be used through Meta’s AI assistant at meta.ai. |
| In Practice |
A September 2025 multilingual legal-reasoning study found that Llamas performance on legal tasks (including classification, summarization, open questions, and general reasoning) lagged behind its performance on general purposes tasks. A 2024 study reported that Llama-2 hallucinated 88% of the time when answering a direct, verifiable question about a randomly-selected federal court case. A 2024 experiment using a Llama-3 model fine-tuned to enhance its legal text processing capabilities demonstrated improved performance over baseline models. |
| More Info |
For the latest version information, model cards, and licensing details, see Meta’s official Llama page. Model weights and implementation tools are also available on GitHub and Hugging Face. |
| Tool | Mistral AI |
| Description |
Mistral AI is a French company founded in 2023 that develops open-access large language models designed for efficiency, speed, and competitive performance. Its open-weight and open-source models are used in research, commercial applications, and multi-model platforms. In June 2025, Mistral introduced Magistral, its first reasoning model. |
| Access |
Users can try le Chat, Mistral's AI assistant, at chat.mistral.ai. |
| In Practice |
Harvey, a generative AI platform designed for the legal industry, announced a strategic partnership with Mistral AI in May 2024. |
| More Info | For model cards, release notes, and licensing details, visit https://mistral.ai or https://docs.mistral.ai. Model weights and example implementations are available on Hugging Face. |
| Tool | Qwen (Alibaba) |
| Description |
Qwen is a family of LLMs and multimodal models developed by Alibaba Cloud, originally introduced in 2023 under the name Tongyi Qianwen. The models support writing, research assistance, coding, multilingual tasks, long-context processing, and multimodal interpretation. The current flagship generation, Qwen3, was released in April 2025. Qwen3 introduced a broad model lineup, including a "hybrid reasoning" design that allows the model to shift between a slower, deeper reasoning mode and a faster conversational mode depending on task demand. Later in 2025, Alibaba expanded the lineup with Qwen3-Omni, a multimodal model capable of handling text, images, audio, and video, and Qwen3-Max, a model optimized for complex and large-scale workloads. |
| Access |
Users can interact with the models directly through Alibaba’s chat interface at chat.qwen.ai. Qwen's Research page provides model updates. Most Qwen models can be freely downloaded and self-hosted through platforms like Hugging Face, GitHub, and Alibaba’s ModelScope. |
| More Info | You can find more information about Qwen models, including technical details and download links, on GitHub, Hugging Face, or the official Qwen website. |
Some AI models are marketed as having reasoning capabilities (performing multi-step analysis via chain-of-thought) or with deep research modes (blending generation with real-time document retrieval and citations).
However, these advanced features do not guarantee better accuracy. In fact, hallucination rates increased in reasoning models, according to OpenAI’s own tests, as reported by The New York Times in May 2025:
Two more recent studies exposed deeper vulnerabilities:
These findings highlight a familiar limitation or generative AI: even models with chain-of-thought or deep research capabilities can be unreliable. In legal contexts, accuracy and valid sourcing are critical, and errors in these areas often have significant consequences. Users must independently verify outputs, particularly reasoning steps, and be wary that tools may appear confident while compounding errors under the surface.
Agentic models are an emerging class of AI systems designed to perform multi-step tasks with limited autonomy. Unlike generative tools that respond to single prompts, agentic models can plan sequences of actions, adjust based on intermediate results, and interact with tools or documents to pursue a defined goal. The shift is from one-off assistance (e.g., “summarize this case”) to broader task support (e.g., “draft a summary, extract key holdings, and prepare a comparison chart”).
Common features include:
That said, the term “agent” is being used in wildly inconsistent ways across the tech industry. As this TechCrunch article bluntly points out, there’s no shared definition of what counts as an AI agent. Some tools labeled as agents run a series of scripted steps. Others make dynamic decisions, use multiple tools, or act on the user's behalf.
At Legaltech Hub’s April 2025 Legal Tech & Innovation Conference, Dan Hoadley, Head of R&D and vLex Labs at vLex, offered a working definition of agentic AI. A true agent, he proposed, must reason about tool use, create and adjust a plan in real time, and know when its goal has been achieved. By that definition, most tools marketed as “agentic” in legal tech today fall short.
Legal tech companies like Harvey, Paxton, and LawDroid have started integrating agentic components into tools for regulatory mapping, contract analysis, and cross-jurisdictional research. These tools still require user input and oversight, but they mark a shift in how AI can support legal workflows.
As with many AI developments, the hype around agentic models has grown fast. Some marketing claims outpace the tools' actual capabilities. It’s worth asking what “agentic” really means in context and whether a tool’s features support that label. Still, the technical progress is real, especially for students and researchers exploring automation, legal operations, or AI-assisted legal practice.
These AI tools have been customized for legal tasks, typically using two main approaches: fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Proprietary generative AI tools like Protégé/Lexis+ AI and CoCounsel use one or both of these strategies. They tend to perform better in legal contexts than general-purpose AI tools and can help with research, drafting, and summarizing. However, their output still requires human review.
Fine-tuning means the model has been retrained on legal information (e.g., case law, statutes, or legal writing) so it “learns” patterns and vocabulary from within the legal field. This process permanently alters the model to make it better suited for legal applications.
RAG, by contrast, does not retrain the model. Instead, it allows the AI to pull relevant information at runtime from a trusted external source (such as a legal research database) before generating a response. This is intended to improve accuracy and reduce hallucinations, especially when the retrieved content comes from authoritative sources of law.
| Tool | CoCounsel |
| Description |
CoCounsel is a generative AI legal assistant developed by Casetext and launched in 2023, initially powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4. Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Westlaw, acquired Casetext in August 2023, and further developed the technology before integrating its own AI assistant (also called CoCounsel) into its products, including Westlaw Precision and Practical Law. When CoCounsel debuted in Westlaw Precision, it offered eight “skills,” including AI-assisted research, document review, document summarization, and timeline creation. CoCounsel 2.0, launched fall 2024, added additional skills, including AI-powered 50-state surveys.
|
| Access |
UC Davis Law students can access CoCounsel by logging into Westlaw and selecting “CoCounsel” from the top menu or by selecting CoCounsel links on resource-specific pages. CoCounsel Legal will be available to students in January 2026. |
| In Practice |
In April 2025, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts awarded Thomson Reuters a multi-year contract to provide CoCounsel and other computer-assisted legal research services to the federal judiciary. This includes the Supreme Court, all U.S. circuit, district, and bankruptcy courts, and federal public defenders. On October 24, 2024, Thomson Reuters launched the AI for Justice Legal Aid program, providing free access and training on CoCounsel to 15 selected legal aid organizations through a year-long Legal Innovators Incubator. Thomson Reuters also provides other legal services organizations and legal nonprofits access to CoCounsel features at a subsidized rate. |
| More Info | For additional resources, including tutorials and product updates, visit the GenAI Resources page on Thomson Reuters' website (Westlaw sign-in required). |
| Tool | Lexis+ AI with Protégé |
| Description |
Lexis+ AI is an AI-powered legal research and drafting platform developed by LexisNexis. It includes Protégé, a personalized AI assistant. Lexis+ AI launched commercially in the U.S. on October 25, 2023, and became available to ABA-accredited law schools in December 2023. Lexis announced general availability of Protégé in the U.S. in January 2025. It combines generative and agentic AI to complete legal tasks and uses Lexis’s proprietary retrieval augmented generation (RAG) platform to ground responses in Lexis content. In August 2025, Lexis launched Protégé General AI, offering secure access to general-purpose LLMs (e.g., GPT-5, GPT-4o, o3, and Claude Sonnet 4) within Lexis+ AI. It is available alongside Protégé Legal AI, the company’s legal-specific model. |
| Access |
UC Davis Law students can access generative AI tools in Lexis by logging into Lexis+ and selecting "Protégé" from the left-hand sidebar. |
| In Practice |
In June 2025, Lexis announced a strategic alliance with Harvey that will incorporate Protégé, U.S. primary law, and Shepard’s Citations directly into the Harvey platform. The companies intend to co-develop new AI-driven legal workflows using Lexis research content and Harvey’s generative AI. In March 2025, the Federal Judiciary awarded LexisNexis a seven-year contract to provide legal research and analytics services to all federal judges, judicial staff, and judiciary employees, including enterprise-wide access to Lexis+ AI. |
| More Info | Visit the Protégé Practice Page for FAQs and video tutorials. |
| Tool | Bloomberg Law Answers |
| Description |
Bloomberg Law Answers integrates with Bloomberg Law Search to provide AI-generated responses to legal questions. The answers, which appear at the top of search results, include citations and links to Bloomberg Law's primary and secondary resources. |
| Access | UC Davis Law students can access Bloomberg Law through the law library's A-Z Databases page. Bloomberg Law Answers is embedded directly within the platform. Students who have not yet registered for Bloomberg Law should contact the reference desk for an individual registration code. |
| More Info |
For a guided tour of Bloomberg Law Answers, click here. For more details about Bloomberg Law Answers and its integration into the legal research workflow, refer to the article "Bloomberg Law Introduces Next-Gen AI Tools for Legal Professionals." |
| Tool | Bloomberg Law's AI Assistant |
| Description |
Bloomberg Law's AI Assistant launched on January 14, 2025. It is a chat-based tool designed to generate summaries of documents and answer user queries about specific aspects of a document. In July 2025, Bloomberg Law expanded the AI Assistant with new conversational research features, including iterative dialogue, saved chat history, jurisdiction filters, chart-building tools, and one-click citation verification. |
| Access |
UC Davis Law students can access Bloomberg Law through the Law Library's A-Z Databases page. Students who have not yet registered for Bloomberg Law should contact the reference desk for an individual registration code. The AI Assistant is integrated into the Bloomberg Law document viewer. When reviewing a case, regulation, or other legal document, activate the assistant directly from the document screen. |
| More Info |
For a guided tour of Bloomberg Law's AI Assistant, click here. For more details about Bloomberg Law AI Assistant and its integration into the legal research workflow, refer to the article “Bloomberg Law Introduces Next-Gen AI Tools for Legal Professionals.” |
| Tool | Descrybe.ai |
| Description |
Descrybe.ai is a free, AI-powered legal research platform that uses generative AI to summarize and provide plain-language summaries of judicial opinions from U.S. state and federal courts. It is designed to democratize access to legal information. Launched in summer 2023, Descrybe.ai has expanded its coverage to over 3.6 million court decisions, including state supreme court and federal appellate court opinions as of late 2025. In October 2024, the platform introduced a redesigned interface, more nuanced search, Spanish-language search and summaries, and simplified English/Spanish summaries at a fifth-grade reading level to improve accessibility. In June 2025, Descrybe introduced a paid premium tier, including a low-cost “Legal Research Toolkit” with advanced features like an AI-powered citator (the “Cytator”) and brief-checking tools, while keeping its core research features free for all users. |
| Access | Descrybe.ai is publicly accessible via its website with no registration or payment required for basic use. An optional subscription, priced at $10/month for noncommerical use and $20/month for commercial use, unlocks the premium features. |
| In Practice |
In November 2025, Law Technology Today, a publication of the ABA’s Law Practice Division, highlighted Descrybe.ai as an affordable research aid for solo practitioners and small firms. In August 2025, Descrybe.ai was added to the National Society for Legal Technology’s curriculum, meaning many law students now train with Descrybe to learn modern AI-assisted research techniques. |
| More Info | For additional details about Descrybe.ai’s development and mission, visit its official About page. A comprehensive FAQ on the Descrybe.ai site provides information on the platform’s coverage, measures to ensure accuracy, and ethical use guidelines. Further news, updates, and user guides can be found on Descrybe’s News section. |
| Tool | Harvey (Counsel AI Corporation) |
| Description | Harvey is a generative AI platform designed for the legal industry. It provides custom LLMs for tasks like legal research, contract analysis, due diligence, and document drafting. It includes specialized features like a "Vault" tool for analyzing large collections of documents. |
| Access |
In August 2025, Harvey launched a Law School Alliance Program, providing free access to its platform for participating schools. The inaugural partners included Stanford, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, University of Texas, and Notre Dame. Students and administrators at participating schools can use Harvey at no cost. |
| In Practice |
As of November 2025, Harvey claimed 700 clients in 63 countries, including most of the top 10 U.S. law firms. An October 2025 study by global legal intelligence and advisory company RSGI found that firms using Harvey reported less time spent on non-billable work, better client relationships, and faster work delivery. |
| More Info | For more information, visit the Harvey website. |
| Tool | Legora |
|---|---|
| Description |
Legora is an AI-powered legal workspace launched in 2023 that supports document review, drafting, and legal research tasks. It integrates with Microsoft Word, SharePoint, and iManage, and offers features like research, playbooks, and workflows. The platform also supports custom workflows (multi‑step AI processes) and playbooks (firm-specific rules for drafting and review). In November 2025, Legora introduced Legora Portal, a platform that streamlines matter-related work in one place and offers live collaboration. General availability of Legora Portal is expected in 2026. |
| Access | Legora is an enterprise product. Some institutions, such as King’s College London, have partnered with Legora to provide full access to law students as part of legal AI literacy programs. |
| In Practice | As of late 2025, Legora has 550 clients and offices in five countries. |
| More Info | Visit legora.com for product details. |
| Tool | midpage.ai |
| Description |
midpage.ai is an AI-powered legal research platform "purpose-built for litigators and law students who do in-depth legal research." The platform covers case law U.S. federal and state courts, tribal courts, and military courts; statutes and regulations (currently in beta); and selected administrative decisions. It presents results in a grid view for side-by-side comparison of legal issues and treatments. It includes an AI-powered citator and ChatGPT integration. |
| Access | UC Davis Law students can access individual midpage.ai subscriptions for $10/month. A two-week free trial is available for new users. |
| In Practice | Early adopters in practice have been solo and small-firm litigators using midpage alongside traditional services; the company has expanded outreach to medium and large firms. |
| More Info |
For additional information, including tutorials and support, visit the midpage.ai website. For law student use cases, visit midpage's student page. A detailed review of midpage.ai's features and performance is available on Artificial Lawyer. |
| Tool | Spellbook |
| Description |
Spellbook is a generative AI tool built to assist lawyers in drafting and reviewing legal documents. It can redline contracts, draft new clauses or suggest revisions, flag unusual or risky items, and identify missing or nonstandard boilerplate language. On August 22, 2024, Spellbook announced Spellbook Associate, an AI agent designed to handle complex, multi-step workflows in transactional matters. The agent can be given a high-level goal (like preparing a set of deal documents) and will break it down into a plan, then execute the steps across multiple documents and applications while checking its work and adjusting as needed. Spellbook's Playbooks feature, launched in January 2025, allows legal teams to codify their contract negotiation guidelines so the AI can review and "negotiate" documents using the organization's preferred language and fallback positions. In mid-2025, Spellbook introduced Spellbook Library, a capability that allows its AI to learn from a lawyer’s or law firm’s own precedent documents in order to provide more personalized drafting and review suggestions. |
| Access | Spellbook offers a free Academic Access program for law students. Students can apply for access via the Spellbook website. |
| More Info |
Visit the Spellbook Learning Hub for learning resources. |
| Tool | Vincent AI (vLex/Clio) |
| Description |
Vincent AI is a legal intelligence platform that combines vLex’s global law library with generative AI. It can answer natural-language questions with cited sources, draft arguments or memos, analyze contracts and filings, and transcribe and analyze audio/video. Originally introduced by vLex as an AI research assistant, Vincent AI expanded from four to 12 AI-driven “workflows.” A February 2025 update introduced multimodal input, allowing analysis of court hearing videos and depositions, plus a revamped “Build an Argument” workflow. vLex also launched vLex Labs for custom AI workflow building, which enabled firms to tailor the AI to their own knowledge bases. In November 2025, Clio acquired vLex in a landmark ~$1 billion deal, the largest in legal tech to date. This acquisition folded Vincent AI into Clio’s product suite, creating an “Intelligent Legal Work Platform” that unites practice management with AI-driven research and drafting workflows. |
| Access | Vincent AI is offered as a premium add-on to vLex's legal research platform and is not currently licensed for institutional use at UC Davis. |
| In Practice |
A 2025 randomized controlled trial assigned upper-level law students to complete six legal tasks using Vincent AI, an general-purpose reasoning model, or no AI. Students using Vincent AI were more productive in five of six tasks and encountered fewer hallucinations than those using the general-purpose model. In 2024, the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) named Vincent AI its New Product of the Year. It was the first generative AI tool to receive this award. |
| More Info | For additional information, visit the official product page. |
| Tool | VitalLaw AI |
| Description |
VitalLaw AI is a generative AI assistant built into Wolters Kluwer’s VitalLaw legal research platform. It supports research across multiple practice areas. Users can ask legal questions in plain language, and the AI returns answers grounded in Wolters Kluwer’s content, with linked citations (LawSites). Launched in late 2024, VitalLaw AI can summarize documents, answer follow-up questions, and generate drafts such as client memos or compliance checklists. Some answers are marked as "golden" answers, meaning they have been crafted or enhanced by Wolters Kluwer's editorial team. |
| Access | UC Davis Law students can access VitalLaw AI within the VitalLaw platform. |
| More Info |
Wolters Kluwer provides several resources to preview and guide the use of VitalLaw AI. The Using VitalLaw AI help section explains how responses are generated and includes screenshots of sample outputs. The companion article Writing Effective AI Prompts offers introductory guidance and best practices. For additional product details, visit the VitalLaw AI product page or read the LawNext feature review. |
Custom-built tools use generative AI technology to serve a specific organization, such as a law firm, court, or legal clinic. These systems are often trained on private data and tailored to match internal workflows or document standards. For example, a firm might develop a tool that drafts contracts using its preferred structure, or a court might deploy an AI system to help manage case assignments. These tools are not typically available to the public and may be difficult to evaluate from the outside.
Athena, the proprietary AI assistant of American law firm Troutman Pepper, launched in August 2023 and built on OpenAI’s GPT technology. Deployed within the firm’s private cloud, it assists with tasks like drafting, summarizing, editing, and document analysis. By August 2024, Athena had over 1,000 active users, with features such as "chat with documents," image creation via DALL-E 3, and security and ethics safeguards, including mandatory training for users.
Law firm Ballard Spahr has launched three internal AI tools to improve efficiency and reduce costs:
The tools, locally hosted for security, aim to automate non-billable tasks and streamline workflows. Initially, the firm restricted AI use in client work but later developed structured policies for safer usage. These tools are part of the firm's Ballard360 legal tech suite.
DechertMind is a proprietary suite of generative AI tools developed by the global law firm Dechert and launched in April 2023. Initially introduced as a chatbot, it has since evolved into a more comprehensive platform for tasks like document drafting, review, and research. Built in-house by Dechert’s innovation team, DechertMind leverages custom AI models tailored to the firm’s specific needs, offering greater control and customization compared to third-party AI tools. In November 2024, Dechert was recognized by The American Lawyer for its innovative use of generative AI.
Davis Wright Tremaine (DWT) launched a generative AI chatbot in 2023 for firm employees, using the ChatGPT platform but restricting its information sources to the firm’s public-facing content. In 2025, DWT expanded its AI platform with DWT Prose, a tool that suggests writing edits based on the work of the firm's established attorneys. DWT Prose integrates multiple commercially available LLMs alongside custom AI models developed in-house. DWT also announced a partnership with Stanford University's CodeX to develop new AI-powered tools tailored to specific use cases identified by the firm.
fleetAI is a generative AI platform developed by Dentons, the world’s largest law firm by number of lawyers, operating in over 80 countries. Launched in August 2023 and built on OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology, fleetAI assists with tasks like document analysis, summarization, automated reporting, and clause extraction. It also supports multiple document uploads and generates context-based legal questions. Currently used firm-wide, fleetAI is set to expand globally and integrate with additional legal technologies, including future features like contract-specific automated reports.
Garfield.Law, the "first AI-driven law firm," was authorized by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales in May 2025. The firm uses a generative AI platform to help individuals and small businesses recover unpaid debts of up to £10,000 through the small claims court system. Their services include generating letters, forms, and other court documents. Regulated solicitors review all AI-produced outputs, and clients must approve each step in the process.
