OpenAI Announcement, Law School Crushes AI Use, Legal Innovators +

And another major week in legal AI, just as AL goes on holiday until June 1st. First up, OpenAI Co-founder, Greg Brockman, announced on X that ‘The model alone is no longer the product’. The major statement – from the model maker – follows a mass of expansions for what Codex can do beyond coding. Plus, as Artificial Lawyer readers now know, it comes after this site shared OpenAI’s plans to enter the legal vertical – see here.

AL does not know the timeline for when it will happen, but this announcement – ahead of OpenAI’s massive $1 Trillion-plus IPO – is all about telling the world that the pioneering AI company provides more than general models. More to come, for sure.

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Berkeley Law School Bans Many AI Uses

UC Berkeley Law School has effectively crushed the widescale use of AI among its classes of wannabe lawyers. It already had some restrictions in place for law students, but the new rules take things to a whole new level (see below).

It’s not an absolute ban, you can still use AI for research. If you read the rules one can see their argument, which is that higher level thought processes, such as understanding and reorganising text and ideas, must remain in the human domain.

The point is finely balanced. Humans need to develop their cognitive abilities – especially lawyers. And AL is 100% in support of keeping our higher functions to our species. We don’t want lawyers with atrophied brains. In fact, we don’t want anyone with atrophied brains!

But, is this partial ban hindering student development in the AI era? E.g. is preventing brainstorming going a bit too far? Thus begins the debate.

*AI uses at the law school which are to be banned.*

More here.

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Special Legal Innovators France – Webinar: Implementing Legal AI – The Challenges and the Benefits, with event sponsor Lefebvre. Join us for a free, live exploration of how to apply legal AI to your law firm or inhouse team with France’s leading legal publisher. It’s on June 3 at 11AM CET.

RSVP here.

Note: the in-person, two-day event in Paris takes place on June 24 and 25. If you are at a law firm or inhouse you can gain a free pass via the Express Registration below.

Legal Innovators Europe conference in Paris – June 24 (Law Firm Day) and 25 (Inhouse Day).

Express route to your ticket here.

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And on the subject of events, Legal Innovators California is in just over two weeks, and we have an incredible group of speakers taking part from across the legal AI ecosystem – plus we’ll be right in the heart of the Bay Area, the home of the AI world! Join us for the West Coast legal event of the year on June 10 and 11 in San Francisco!

Tickets For Legal Innovators California Conference – SF – June 10 + 11

To gain your complimentary pass for the two-day landmark legal AI event in San Francisco, please use the Express Registration here – only for those working within law firms or inhouse teams.

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And now onto some news, which AL will keep very short, as it’s a long weekend for many people.

Thirdfort, the client due diligence platform, has launched a ‘rebuilt platform’ that brings together ID and document verification, Know Your Business checks, Anti-Money Laundering screening, and Source of Funds analysis.
Ulster University has announced a new research and educational collaboration with StructureFlow, the platform for mapping, modelling and managing complex legal structures.
Norm Law, an AI-native law firm, has hired James Gerkis as a Partner in the firm’s Corporate Transactions practice. He is a very experienced lawyer who was previously at Proskauer Rose, ‘where he spent decades building a broad transactional practice advising financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies’. Just shows that NewMods aren’t just for junior lawyers….!
And, Jylo has opened its first European office in Strasbourg, France. Close to the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and key EU regulatory bodies. The new office will serve as Jylo’s operational base for its growing European client base, they said. ….Hey folks, you should jump onto a TGV and come to Legal Innovators in Paris on June 24 and 25!

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And here are some great AL TV videos: an interview with Legal Innovators California keynote, David Wang, innovation chief at Cooley, and two AL TV Product Walk Throughs – June, and also SpotDraft.