Early AI Adoption and R&D Focus

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Here are the top 5 takeaways from this episode:

1. Master the Fundamentals, Not the Tools.

Focus on learning the core skills of working with AI models rather than chasing every new tool. Understanding how base models work (like Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude) teaches you their capabilities and limitations, which applies to any tool you use. The skills stay constant even as tools change.

2. Contingency and Alternative Fee Models Are Best Positioned for AI Benefits.

Personal injury firms and subscription-based practices have the right incentive structure—less time equals more profit. Unlike hourly billing, these models reward efficiency gains from AI adoption, making firms more motivated to invest in learning and implementing automation.

3. Beware of Errors of Omission, Not Just Hallucinations.

While everyone talks about AI hallucinations (making up facts), the more dangerous problem is omissions—when AI leaves out important information. This is harder to catch and requires understanding which tools to use for which tasks (e.g., don’t use Notebook LM for comprehensive medical chronologies).

4. Create an “AI Office Manager” Role.

Firms need someone at the intersection of legal expertise, operations knowledge, and AI skills. This person builds and maintains prompt libraries (Gems/Custom GPTs), enforces standards across the team, and manages change adoption—without requiring a full engineering team.

5. Start with Gemini for Workspace Users, Then Add Specialized Tools.

For most law firms, Gemini (via Google Workspace and Google’s HIPAA Business Associate Addendum) offers HIPAA compliance, excellent document handling, and inline citations at a reasonable cost. Only add specialized legal AI vendors when you understand the specific limitations of base models and have clear workflow needs that justify the additional expense.

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