![\"AI](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AI-Tools-for-Lawyers.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Table of contents<\/h2>\n\n- The AI Tool Battle: What Lawyers Prefer<\/a><\/li>\n
- What the Comments Revealed<\/a><\/li>\n
- Legal-specific Options Are Often Disappointing<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Real Insight About Using AI Tools<\/a><\/li>\n
- Why Do Lawyers Resist Experimenting?<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Bottom Line : Don\u2019t Stay Married to Your First AI Tool<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The AI Tool Battle: What Lawyers Prefer<\/h2>\n
\u200bChatGPT<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> dominated with 57% of responses. <\/strong>But the comments explaining their preferences revealed something more interesting.<\/p>\n\n- \u201cI\u2019ve been all in with ChatGPT and not dabbling with others.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cI pay for ChatGPT, but when I do the same query with both GPT and Claude, I find that I prefer Claude\u2019s free response to GPTs. Claude feels like being in dialogue with a \u201csmarter\u201d person, and I find myself wasting less time and feeling less irritated as I edit or build off the output.<\/li>\n
- \u201cI have been experimenting with Perplexity. I previously was using ChatGPT, which provided good general responses. I\u2019ve found that I like Perplexity better because the responses appear more well-supported. In both cases, I use the tools like an enhanced search function and not for drafting.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cFor legal drafting, my primary has become Gemini AI. It seems to match my voice. Plus, it can read PDFs that are not OCR\u2019d.\u201d<\/li>\n
- \u201cI JUST paid for Claude and I am far more impressed with its output. I love \u200bSpellbook\u200b; I see a benefit in it separate from the other tools. I am loving Claude. ChatGPT is too consumer-oriented, and I have to check its output more.<\/li>\n
- \u201cI pay for ChatGPT Pro. I recently watched an AI writing webinar and the presenter used Claude. I haven\u2019t used it, am very happy with the $$$ version of ChatGPT, but might want to check it out.<\/li>\n
- \u201cI went all-in with the pro version of ChatGPT. I have started playing around with Westlaw\u2019s AI tools in hopes that I will get more real cases and fewer hallucinations.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What the Comments Revealed<\/h2>\n
Most lawyers aren\u2019t experimenting.<\/strong> One person said it clearly: \u201cI\u2019ve been all in with ChatGPT and not dabbling with others.\u201d<\/p>\nThat might be a mistake in the long run.<\/p>\n
Tool choice depends on the task.<\/strong> Some lawyers prefer Claude for tone, Perplexity for research, and Gemini for what many call the best AI for drafting. No single AI tool for lawyers excels at everything.<\/p>\nLegal-specific Options Are Often Disappointing<\/h2>\n
Attorney Carolyn Elefant recently described<\/a> her test of how ChatGPT Deep Research and Lexis handled the same legal issue about a utility\u2019s non-consensual entry onto private property constituted a taking under federal and state law.<\/p>\nShe reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n- \u201cChatGPT Deep Research was faster and more intuitive<\/strong>. I didn\u2019t have to go through multiple login screens or navigate a cluttered interface \u2026<\/li>\n
- ChatGPT \u2026 produced a comprehensive, reasoned memo<\/strong> that restated the question clearly and then walked through relevant federal and Maryland law. Most impressively, it identified the key U.S. Supreme Court case \u2014 Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid<\/strong> \u2014 right at the start.\u00a0<\/li>\n
- That case is central to the issue of temporary physical takings, and Lexis completely missed it.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A lawyer in our survey reported similar disappointment:<\/p>\n
\n- \u201cEvery time I demo one of these legal-specific tools, they suck.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Obviously, there are ethical concerns<\/a> that the legal-specific AI tools purport to address. And no doubt they generally provide good results. So what\u2019s the takeaway?<\/p>\nThe Real Insight About Using AI Tools<\/h2>\n
Focusing too much on a single AI tool might not be the best approach right now. It\u2019s better to understand what each tool does best \u2014 and use the right one for each task.<\/p>\n
\n- \u200bChatGPT<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> excels at conversation and problem-solving.<\/li>\n
- \u200bClaude<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> produces more polished writing.<\/li>\n
- \u200bPerplexity<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> delivers better-sourced research.<\/li>\n
- \u200bGemini<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> handles complex documents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why Do Lawyers Resist Experimenting?<\/h2>\n
Most lawyers find one AI tool that works \u201cwell enough\u201d and stop there.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s like using a hammer for every job because you\u2019re comfortable with hammers.<\/p>\n
The lawyers getting the best AI results? They\u2019re tool-switchers. They use Claude for writing, Perplexity for research and ChatGPT for brainstorming. <\/p>\n
It takes more upfront effort, but the results are dramatically better.<\/p>\n
The Bottom Line<\/strong>: Don\u2019t Stay Married to Your First AI Tool<\/h2>\nWith AI for solo and small firm practice, the bottom line is: Try different options for different tasks. Pay to get access to the best models. Learn what each does best.<\/p>\n
(And if you want to join a discussion group where lawyers are trying different AI tools, check out the ChatGPT Lab for Lawyers<\/a>.)<\/p>\nImage \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AttorneyatWork-Logo-%C2%AE-2021-1.jpg?resize=372%2C106&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\nSign up for Attorney at Work\u2019s daily practice tips newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to our podcast<\/a>, Attorney at Work Today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ernie Svenson recently polled a group of solo and small firm lawyers about their preferred AI tools. The results? Surprising. The post AI Tools for Lawyers: Why You Shouldn\u2019t Stick to Just One appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. In his new column, \u201cThe 80\/20 Principle,\u201d Ernie Svenson demystifies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The AI Tool Battle: What Lawyers Prefer<\/h2>\n
\u200bChatGPT<\/strong>\u200b<\/a> dominated with 57% of responses. <\/strong>But the comments explaining their preferences revealed something more interesting.<\/p>\n Most lawyers aren\u2019t experimenting.<\/strong> One person said it clearly: \u201cI\u2019ve been all in with ChatGPT and not dabbling with others.\u201d<\/p>\n That might be a mistake in the long run.<\/p>\n Tool choice depends on the task.<\/strong> Some lawyers prefer Claude for tone, Perplexity for research, and Gemini for what many call the best AI for drafting. No single AI tool for lawyers excels at everything.<\/p>\n Attorney Carolyn Elefant recently described<\/a> her test of how ChatGPT Deep Research and Lexis handled the same legal issue about a utility\u2019s non-consensual entry onto private property constituted a taking under federal and state law.<\/p>\n She reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n A lawyer in our survey reported similar disappointment:<\/p>\n Obviously, there are ethical concerns<\/a> that the legal-specific AI tools purport to address. And no doubt they generally provide good results. So what\u2019s the takeaway?<\/p>\n Focusing too much on a single AI tool might not be the best approach right now. It\u2019s better to understand what each tool does best \u2014 and use the right one for each task.<\/p>\n Most lawyers find one AI tool that works \u201cwell enough\u201d and stop there.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s like using a hammer for every job because you\u2019re comfortable with hammers.<\/p>\n The lawyers getting the best AI results? They\u2019re tool-switchers. They use Claude for writing, Perplexity for research and ChatGPT for brainstorming. <\/p>\n It takes more upfront effort, but the results are dramatically better.<\/p>\n With AI for solo and small firm practice, the bottom line is: Try different options for different tasks. Pay to get access to the best models. Learn what each does best.<\/p>\n (And if you want to join a discussion group where lawyers are trying different AI tools, check out the ChatGPT Lab for Lawyers<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Image \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n Sign up for Attorney at Work\u2019s daily practice tips newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to our podcast<\/a>, Attorney at Work Today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ernie Svenson recently polled a group of solo and small firm lawyers about their preferred AI tools. The results? Surprising. The post AI Tools for Lawyers: Why You Shouldn\u2019t Stick to Just One appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. In his new column, \u201cThe 80\/20 Principle,\u201d Ernie Svenson demystifies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What the Comments Revealed<\/h2>\n
Legal-specific Options Are Often Disappointing<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
The Real Insight About Using AI Tools<\/h2>\n
\n
Why Do Lawyers Resist Experimenting?<\/h2>\n
The Bottom Line<\/strong>: Don\u2019t Stay Married to Your First AI Tool<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n