Law firms depend on documentation to serve their clients, prepare for cases, and ensure they have the most updated information. Traditionally, inputting this information into the requisite legal systems has been subject to human error and is time-consuming, requiring hours of typing or writing. Meanwhile, firms are also under pressure to keep costs low in an effort to maintain efficiency for their clients and retain their business. These challenges have only grown as a result of the pandemic, which has forced more lawyers to work remotely, requiring them to keep careful, accurate documentation without their usual tools and workspace.

Ironically, the answer to solving these new problems may be in a “new/old” skill: dictation coupled with speech recognition technology, which is making a comeback in the legal space. Vastly improved from the days of tape recorders and Dictaphones, speech recognition today is automated and incorporates the power of AI to provide better, faster, and more accurate record-keeping. When weaved into speech recognition tools, conversational AI helps with productivity and collaboration, while also reducing costs and making lawyers’ lives easier. Perhaps this trend is best summarized by the American Bar Association, which has stated, “The advent of voice-recognition dictation has ushered in an entirely new and streamlined way to dictate documents.”