{"id":139091,"date":"2025-12-15T17:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T01:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/15\/ai-email-tools-for-legal-a-time-saver-or-emperor-without-clothes\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T01:54:14","slug":"ai-email-tools-for-legal-a-time-saver-or-emperor-without-clothes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/15\/ai-email-tools-for-legal-a-time-saver-or-emperor-without-clothes\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Email Tools For Legal: A Time Saver Or Emperor Without Clothes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThese must indeed be splendid clothes! Had I such a suit I might at once\u2026be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish.\u201d \u2014 <\/em>The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/a>, Hans Christian Anderson<\/p>\n

Remember the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/a>? It\u2019s about an emperor who is convinced by some vendors\u2019 BS to buy a set of what\u2019s described as a beautiful set of clothes. There\u2019s only one problem; the clothes are imaginary. \u00a0When the emperor wears (or actually doesn\u2019t wear) the clothes in a big parade, his constituents are afraid to say that he\u2019s wearing no clothes. Until a young child blurts out the truth: \u201cThe emperor is wearing no clothes!\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help thinking a bit about that story as I see AI tools that promise everything but may deliver questionable actual value.<\/p>\n

A Siren Song for Email?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of these kinds of AI tools were on display last week at the AI Summit. I attended a presentation by Kyle Miller, Yahoo Email General Manager. Miller described an AI-based platform for managing, summarizing, and acting on emails.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, emails are the bane of most lawyers\u2019 existence. We get hundreds of them every day. Many are routine. Many require no response. Many are marketing BS.<\/p>\n

But some are critically important. I wanted to see if the Yahoo AI email management was something useful or just another AI tool that takes more time than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

The goal behind the Yahoo platform is a good one: Leverage AI to create a more personalized email inbox experience. The idea is built around four pillars: The tool will catch what\u2019s important in the email, will be able to act on it, will adapt as it goes along, and will evolve. \u201cThe goal,\u201d said Miller \u201cis that the platform would be more like a companion.\u201d It\u2019s similar to some other platforms offered by email providers.<\/p>\n

I took a look at the present state of the Yahoo mail platform. It did a pretty good job of summarizing emails with offers and deals. It did not do quite as good a job at summarizing substantive emails.<\/p>\n

The Verification Paradox<\/strong><\/p>\n

Miller made an interesting point: If it takes more time to create the prompt to get the output than it takes to get the output some other way, why use it? I was skeptical whether the platform Miller promoted would be the same way. Would it take more time to read the summary and what the AI agent planned to do than it would to just read the email itself?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same problem Melissa Rogozinski<\/a> and I have written about<\/a> with respect with respect to verification of AI-generated citations: The time savings are offset by the time needed to verify what the tool provided. In our rush to adopt the new and shiny AI toys, we forget whether they really do what\u2019s promised. The ROI of AI is time savings. If it doesn\u2019t save time, why use it? Why buy it?<\/p>\n

ROI and Legal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having said all that, I wonder about the use of these kind of AI email platforms in legal. I\u2019m not sure these platforms pass the ROI test: I don\u2019t think they save that much time in many circumstances.<\/p>\n

First, any substantive email (or those that might be substantive) will need to be reviewed in total, irrespective of any summary. What could look like a simple reply-all might contain something the AI tool might miss.<\/p>\n

More complex and detailed emails often require an understanding of context and nuance. They may require an understanding of the author, the business from which they come, past experiences, and the like. Perhaps someday, the AI platforms may be able to do this. But I don\u2019t have enough confidence in them today to cede that understanding and not read the underlying email.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way: You may know your client in ways the AI tool can\u2019t. What they like. The latest book they read. Their politics. All of those things could make a difference in how you respond to a routine email.<\/p>\n

Or how about this: you get an email from opposing counsel that appears to be routine case coordination but actually contains a subtle shift in their settlement position. An AI summary might characterize it as \u201cstandard case update\u201d and miss the strategic implications.<\/p>\n

And of course, if I have to read the underlying email, I haven\u2019t saved time. I\u2019ve actually spent more time. Let\u2019s say it takes a minute to read the AI summary and a minute to read the email. That\u2019s two minutes spent. If you just read the underlying email, it takes one minute total. Add that up over 100 emails and you\u2019re talking real time. You\u2019ve spent time you didn\u2019t need to and may have even billed for it, much to your client\u2019s dismay and state law ethics updates.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the paradox we find ourselves in today: Believing without question in the power of AI. Sometimes the emperor indeed has no clothes.<\/p>\n

Unquestioned Reliance Leads to Compliancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without doubt, there are times that AI platforms save time. Significant time. They save time by separating out pure marketing materials. Or summarizing offers. Or ferreting out promotional materials masquerading as \u201cnewsletters.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the danger lurking is overreliance and complacency. The more we use the tool, the more we rely on it. We tend to get complacent and forget it can miss things. It doesn\u2019t always get nuance. It doesn\u2019t know, for example, the person sending the email might communicate using a blunt transactional style whereas another may use a softer, expressive one. Knowing that could make all the difference in how you react and respond.<\/p>\n

I have worked with people on both sides of these styles by the way. I can read an email from someone with the blunt transactional style and if I\u2019m not careful, since I\u2019m a more expressive communicator, get really agitated. I have to make myself slow down and say, \u201cThat\u2019s just Sam\u2019s style, don\u2019t take offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

If I didn\u2019t do that? An email war between two lawyers could erupt costing everyone way too much time and energy.<\/p>\n

An AI tool may be able to make that distinction after some training and seeing several Sam emails. But it might not and certainly might not early on. At the very least, it\u2019s worth hitting pause first and asking the question.<\/p>\n

And knowing that could make all the difference in the end result and your peace of mind. It\u2019s akin to getting lazy about checking citations: The AI output looks good. It sounds good. To save time, it becomes tempting to rely on it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Not a Luddite<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I am an AI fan. But in the age of hype and hyperbole, where vendors and pundits beat the AI drum over all else, it\u2019s right to apply some lawyerly skepticism. To question some of what we are hearing. To take with a grain of salt that AI actually saves us time or whether we just think it does. To understand that just because a vendor says the clothes for the emperor are beautiful doesn\u2019t mean they are or even that they exist.<\/p>\n

In legal, where the margin for error is small and the stakes are high, we can\u2019t afford to let AI vendor promises override our professional judgment. Before implementing any AI email tool, ask: What specific problem does this solve? How will I measure the time savings? What\u2019s my fallback if the tool misses something critical?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the emperor is wearing no clothes.<\/p>\n

\n

Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and writer. He publishes\u00a0TechLaw Crossroads<\/a>, a blog devoted to the examination of the tension between technology, the law, and the practice of law<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post AI Email Tools For Legal: A Time Saver Or Emperor Without Clothes?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese must indeed be splendid clothes! Had I such a suit I might at once\u2026be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish.\u201d \u2014 <\/em>The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/a>, Hans Christian Anderson<\/p>\n

Remember the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/a>? It\u2019s about an emperor who is convinced by some vendors\u2019 BS to buy a set of what\u2019s described as a beautiful set of clothes. There\u2019s only one problem; the clothes are imaginary. \u00a0When the emperor wears (or actually doesn\u2019t wear) the clothes in a big parade, his constituents are afraid to say that he\u2019s wearing no clothes. Until a young child blurts out the truth: \u201cThe emperor is wearing no clothes!\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help thinking a bit about that story as I see AI tools that promise everything but may deliver questionable actual value.<\/p>\n

A Siren Song for Email?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of these kinds of AI tools were on display last week at the AI Summit. I attended a presentation by Kyle Miller, Yahoo Email General Manager. Miller described an AI-based platform for managing, summarizing, and acting on emails.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, emails are the bane of most lawyers\u2019 existence. We get hundreds of them every day. Many are routine. Many require no response. Many are marketing BS.<\/p>\n

But some are critically important. I wanted to see if the Yahoo AI email management was something useful or just another AI tool that takes more time than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

The goal behind the Yahoo platform is a good one: Leverage AI to create a more personalized email inbox experience. The idea is built around four pillars: The tool will catch what\u2019s important in the email, will be able to act on it, will adapt as it goes along, and will evolve. \u201cThe goal,\u201d said Miller \u201cis that the platform would be more like a companion.\u201d It\u2019s similar to some other platforms offered by email providers.<\/p>\n

I took a look at the present state of the Yahoo mail platform. It did a pretty good job of summarizing emails with offers and deals. It did not do quite as good a job at summarizing substantive emails.<\/p>\n

The Verification Paradox<\/strong><\/p>\n

Miller made an interesting point: If it takes more time to create the prompt to get the output than it takes to get the output some other way, why use it? I was skeptical whether the platform Miller promoted would be the same way. Would it take more time to read the summary and what the AI agent planned to do than it would to just read the email itself?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same problem Melissa Rogozinski<\/a> and I have written about<\/a> with respect with respect to verification of AI-generated citations: The time savings are offset by the time needed to verify what the tool provided. In our rush to adopt the new and shiny AI toys, we forget whether they really do what\u2019s promised. The ROI of AI is time savings. If it doesn\u2019t save time, why use it? Why buy it?<\/p>\n

ROI and Legal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having said all that, I wonder about the use of these kind of AI email platforms in legal. I\u2019m not sure these platforms pass the ROI test: I don\u2019t think they save that much time in many circumstances.<\/p>\n

First, any substantive email (or those that might be substantive) will need to be reviewed in total, irrespective of any summary. What could look like a simple reply-all might contain something the AI tool might miss.<\/p>\n

More complex and detailed emails often require an understanding of context and nuance. They may require an understanding of the author, the business from which they come, past experiences, and the like. Perhaps someday, the AI platforms may be able to do this. But I don\u2019t have enough confidence in them today to cede that understanding and not read the underlying email.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way: You may know your client in ways the AI tool can\u2019t. What they like. The latest book they read. Their politics. All of those things could make a difference in how you respond to a routine email.<\/p>\n

Or how about this: you get an email from opposing counsel that appears to be routine case coordination but actually contains a subtle shift in their settlement position. An AI summary might characterize it as \u201cstandard case update\u201d and miss the strategic implications.<\/p>\n

And of course, if I have to read the underlying email, I haven\u2019t saved time. I\u2019ve actually spent more time. Let\u2019s say it takes a minute to read the AI summary and a minute to read the email. That\u2019s two minutes spent. If you just read the underlying email, it takes one minute total. Add that up over 100 emails and you\u2019re talking real time. You\u2019ve spent time you didn\u2019t need to and may have even billed for it, much to your client\u2019s dismay and state law ethics updates.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the paradox we find ourselves in today: Believing without question in the power of AI. Sometimes the emperor indeed has no clothes.<\/p>\n

Unquestioned Reliance Leads to Compliancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without doubt, there are times that AI platforms save time. Significant time. They save time by separating out pure marketing materials. Or summarizing offers. Or ferreting out promotional materials masquerading as \u201cnewsletters.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the danger lurking is overreliance and complacency. The more we use the tool, the more we rely on it. We tend to get complacent and forget it can miss things. It doesn\u2019t always get nuance. It doesn\u2019t know, for example, the person sending the email might communicate using a blunt transactional style whereas another may use a softer, expressive one. Knowing that could make all the difference in how you react and respond.<\/p>\n

I have worked with people on both sides of these styles by the way. I can read an email from someone with the blunt transactional style and if I\u2019m not careful, since I\u2019m a more expressive communicator, get really agitated. I have to make myself slow down and say, \u201cThat\u2019s just Sam\u2019s style, don\u2019t take offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

If I didn\u2019t do that? An email war between two lawyers could erupt costing everyone way too much time and energy.<\/p>\n

An AI tool may be able to make that distinction after some training and seeing several Sam emails. But it might not and certainly might not early on. At the very least, it\u2019s worth hitting pause first and asking the question.<\/p>\n

And knowing that could make all the difference in the end result and your peace of mind. It\u2019s akin to getting lazy about checking citations: The AI output looks good. It sounds good. To save time, it becomes tempting to rely on it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Not a Luddite<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I am an AI fan. But in the age of hype and hyperbole, where vendors and pundits beat the AI drum over all else, it\u2019s right to apply some lawyerly skepticism. To question some of what we are hearing. To take with a grain of salt that AI actually saves us time or whether we just think it does. To understand that just because a vendor says the clothes for the emperor are beautiful doesn\u2019t mean they are or even that they exist.<\/p>\n

In legal, where the margin for error is small and the stakes are high, we can\u2019t afford to let AI vendor promises override our professional judgment. Before implementing any AI email tool, ask: What specific problem does this solve? How will I measure the time savings? What\u2019s my fallback if the tool misses something critical?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the emperor is wearing no clothes.<\/p>\n

\n

Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and writer. He publishes\u00a0TechLaw Crossroads<\/a>, a blog devoted to the examination of the tension between technology, the law, and the practice of law<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post AI Email Tools For Legal: A Time Saver Or Emperor Without Clothes?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThese must indeed be splendid clothes! Had I such a suit I might at once\u2026be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish.\u201d \u2014 The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes, Hans Christian Anderson Remember the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes? It\u2019s about an emperor who is convinced by some vendors\u2019 BS to buy a […]<\/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":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139091","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=139091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}