As someone relatively new to legal technology, I’ve found myself entering the industry at a pivotal time, just as AI is moving from theory to real-world implementation in legal workflows. Law firms of all sizes are asking fundamental questions, such as: What can AI do? What can’t it do? And perhaps most importantly, what shouldn’t it do?
I just got back from ILTA EVOLVE 2025, and the event was packed with insights on all of the above and more, but I earmarked a few key takeaways worth sharing. Let’s jump in.
1. Crafting Effective AI Prompts: Think CLEAR
AI output is only as good as the input it’s given. And like any technology, its usefulness depends heavily on how it’s used. A weak result from an LLM doesn’t necessarily mean the tool is insufficient. It might just mean the prompt wasn’t clear or specific enough.
Rochelle Thompson from Fasken delivered a fantastic session on this topic, introducing a helpful acronym to guide AI prompting: CLEAR.
- Context: Set the stage. Let the AI know who you are and what the situation is (e.g., “I’m a senior partner specializing in M&A”).
- Language & Tone: Specify the tone you want to see in the result—professional, formal, neutral, or casual.
- Example: Provide a sample or template if you have one. This helps guide the output.
- Action: Be explicit about what you want. Are you asking for an email? A legal summary? A draft clause?
- Result: Describe the desired format and level of detail.
One of the most practical tips I heard: build a prompt library. Once you’ve crafted a good prompt that delivers consistent results, save it. This helps reduce the cognitive load on users and ensures more reliable outputs across the firm.
Also worth noting—be sure to refresh your chat when switching topics or tasks. LLMs rely on chat history for context, so clearing it ensures a clean slate and prevents unintended carryover from previous queries.
2. AI Enablement: It’s All About Connections
Kim Stein’s session on AI Enablement offered valuable insights into how law firms are integrating AI into their ecosystems. The bottom line: every firm will use AI differently, but success hinges on one key factor—secure and intelligent connectivity between AI systems and firm data.
Take Microsoft Copilot, for example. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s only as useful as the data it can access. If a key document is stored in your DMS and Copilot isn’t connected to it, you’re out of luck.
Two critical considerations when integrating AI with firm data:
- Security & Access Control: Any connection must honor the permissions and access restrictions of the source system. No compromises here.
- Metadata & Structure: AI thrives on well-organized data. If your content is messy or lacks metadata, the results will likely fall short. Structuring your data isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.
(Shameless plug: this is exactly where we come in at BA Insight—helping firms connect and structure their content to unlock the full potential of AI tools.)
Bonus Highlight: Exploring Multiple LLMs with Lega
During one workshop, event attendees got the opportunity to try out Lega’s AI platform, specifically built for legal professionals, to explore and compare outputs from various LLMs such as Deepseek vs. ChatGPT. It was truly enlightening to observe how drastically the results can vary between models, even when using the exact same prompt. The LLM you choose makes a difference, which means decision-makers must research and assess which LLM is the ideal one to meet your firm’s requirements.
Wrap up
ILTA EVOLVE covered far more than I can summarize in one post, but if you’re exploring how AI fits into your legal tech strategy—and want to learn from firms and vendors walking the same path—I highly recommend attending next year. There is so much more to this legal AI journey, and I have no doubt we’ll be building that story at BA Insight over the next year to share exciting developments and innovations.
Check out my recap from the 2024 KM&I for Legal Conference here. Can’t wait to keep the AI-fueled momentum going at future legal tech events! The BA Insight team will be at ILTACON 2025 in full force, so don’t miss us this August for the 45th anniversary of this incredible legal tech event.
Ready to amp up your AI project? Learn more about BA Insight’s launch of the world’s first AI enablement platform, then reach out to our AI search experts to get started at your firm.
