While ChatGPT and other forms of “generative” AI are getting plenty of attention globally, they are also playing a part in the legal arena. Many applications are available for contract review, lifecycle management, AI-associate, e-discovery, legal research etc.

What is not mentioned all that often are AI/ML tools built on the B.E.R.T. (code set, which has evolved since 2018, initiated by Google, and which now drives a ton of natural language processing [NLP] platforms, based on the growing breadth and depth and subject matters on globally-available “dataset libraries”. When you “talk” to Google on your phone, via their browsers, you are reaching into this world.

LSG has spent many years using machine learning and took its time in choosing the appropriate AI/ML coding language for its legaltech platforms, including the Mercury® ELM, the Bilr™ time recording, billing and payments app and others. We settled on B.E.R.T. which enables a contextualized and continual learning process, helping to constantly build accuracy and quality. Our e-billing tools are compliant with LEDES and UTBMS, which are universally used code constructs for recording tasks and associating them with the timeline of a matter or legal case. These are broken down into phases, tasks and activities.

Our AI/ML “engine” is capable of interpreting how accurate time records [of tasks and activities] are in relation to the UTBMS codes and equally importantly, how they are aligned [or mis-aligned] with a client’s master services agreement, SLA or terms of conduct.

AI-BillReview is a tool which LSG has created to automatically identify potential errors in time records and invoices and self-correct these or provide markers to the finance and billing staff or directly to the attorneys. This helps to build a learning tool to help educate attorneys to become better and more accurate with their time recording, thus making the task of billing that much easier and driving value to the bottom line of the law firm. The LSG engine can also be applied to accountants/CPA’s, consultants and other professionals.

AI/ML technology offers LSG and its clients a significant operational efficiency gain, to drive financial effectiveness. Both for the fee paying client and the law firm. The future is NOW.