AI adoption in legal practice is not uniform. Corporate/M&A teams are running enterprise AI on every deal. Criminal defense solos are using ChatGPT for research between court appearances. The difference is not willingness — it is workflow fit. Practice areas with high document volume, structured processes, and data-intensive analysis benefit most. Practice areas built on human relationships, courtroom advocacy, and emotional intelligence benefit differently.
This guide maps the AI landscape for each practice area: what tasks AI handles well, what stays human, which tools work, and what the disclosure requirements look like.
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