Meet Mike Smith - he is a legal veteran and a technology enthusiast who has been practicing law since 1996. In 2006, Mike founded Smith Barid, LLC, a firm focusing on estate planning, elder law, and special needs planning. This firm had a keen focus on integrating technology into legal practice - Mike has consistently sought out innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and service quality: “from day one, we were always looking for ways to be more efficient using technology”.

It’s no surprise he was named to the ABA journal’s “America’s Techiest Lawyers”. His firm is a testament to his belief in the power of technology to transform the legal industry. 

Never settling for the status quo, Mike was always looking for ways to leverage and utilize technology to make his legal practice more efficient. Prior to adopting Eve, he was adding layers of automation to his firm, even writing his own scripts to connect APIs to improve efficiency.

But there were plenty of inefficiencies left to tackle. He set out to improve how core tasks such as document drafting and legal research get done at his firm. The existing process could be slowed due to back-and-forth communication, waiting for staff to address other work, and the need for staff to get back up to speed on tasks after delays.

When AI tools like Eve and ChatGPT started to become available, Mike was ready to pounce.

Mike began using Eve to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of his legal practice. He integrated Eve into various aspects of his work, leveraging the AI's capabilities to enhance tasks traditionally handled by paralegals and legal assistants.

Mike plugged Eve into a few key processes first. For document drafting, whether it be letters to client, wills, non-disclosure agreements, or other such content, he would input specific details from a series of emails or other context into Eve and ask it to draft a document based on that information. 

He also utilized Eve for legal research, getting a research memo drafted with key case law. Mike reminds us that it is crucial to check all of Eve’s outputs, but notes that he would be reading and verifying his staff’s work just as he did Eve’s. With rigorous checks, there were nonetheless significant time savings compared to traditional methods.

Primarily, Mike appreciated having a strong starting point for his work. 

For multiple recurring projects Eve was able to serve up first drafts and a clear path forward, allowing Mike to not have to start from scratch, and focus primarily on what he does best. The introduction of Eve into Mike’s workflow marked a turning point. Mike describes Eve as his new virtual paralegal, capable of key legal work with remarkable speed and proficiency. The transition was seamless and the benefits immediate:

"Eve has been a game-changer for us. It's like having an extra team member who's always available and never gets sick. The speed at which we can now produce initial drafts and conduct research is incredible."