AI legal assistants
AI legal assistants for criminal defense lawyers summarize documents, answer research questions, draft first versions of memos and motions, and review discovery at speed. For public defenders carrying heavy caseloads, the promise is time back on each file. The obligation is to verify every output and protect client data.
Key buying questions:
- Is client data kept confidential and excluded from model training?
- Does the assistant cite real, checkable sources?
- Is it sold standalone or bundled with a research platform?
- Is pricing per seat or enterprise?
- How do the terms fit your ethics obligations, such as ABA Formal Opinion 512 on generative AI?
What counties have paid (verified public records): Rensselaer County, NY licensed three seats of CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters) at $603/month for the first 12 months, rising 5% a year, on a three-year term starting May 2025. It was bought alongside the county's Westlaw contract. Many AI assistants are sold by enterprise quote. Each listing below shows the published price where one exists.