Philippine Legal AI Chatbots: Uses, Benefits, and Top Websites

Legal AI chatbots are transforming Philippine law practice by streamlining research, automating contracts, and improving client engagement.

In the context of lawyering and legal practice, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in streamlining operations, improving efficiency, and enhancing client experiences for solo practitioners, law firms, and even the Philippine Supreme Court. One of the most impactful innovations is the legal chatbot. These AI-powered tools are transforming how law firms, legal departments, and individuals interact with and understand the ever-evolving legal field. 

But what exactly is a legal chatbot, and how does it contribute to the legal landscape?

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What is an Legal AI chatbot in the Philippines?

A legal chatbot is an AI-driven software application designed to assist legal professionals and clients by providing instant legal information, answering common queries, and automating repetitive tasks. 

Unlike traditional methods of client communication, a legal chatbot operates 24/7, reduces the workload of legal professionals, and ensures that clients receive prompt responses to their legal concerns. Given its accuracy and accessibility, AI chatbot uses in the legal sector range from document automation, legal research to answering legal queries, making them an indispensable tool for modern law firms.

Philippine Legal Chatbots vs. International Legal Chatbots

Philippine legal chatbots are new innovations brought about in the last few years. Our foreign neighbors however have established such platforms a few years ahead of us. To see how our websites compare, a comparison table is shown below:

Benefits of using Legal AI Chatbots

If you’re still not convinced about letting legal AI chatbots help with your other tasks as a lawyer, below are just some of the known benefits of using them.

1. Increased Accessibility to Legal Information

One of the most significant advantages of a legal chatbot is that it provides instant access to legal information—clients no longer need to wait for business hours to get answers to their questions. With an online AI chatbot, legal guidance is available anytime, ensuring continuous support.

Do note, however, that in cases of conflict and dispute, it’s still best to seek legal advice from actual practitioners and to not rely solely on whatever information an online AI chatbot may generate.

As such, lawyers and legal professionals often spend considerable time on repetitive tasks such as answering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), booking client meetings, and drafting contracts. A legal chatbot automates these tasks, allowing legal teams to focus on complex cases and high-value work, and effectively reducing operational costs.

2. Reducing Risk of Human Error

Since AI chatbots use machine learning algorithms, it continuously improves its ability to provide accurate and consistent responses. This reduces the risk of human error, ensuring that clients receive reliable legal information.

Aside from this, AI chatbots usually link the sources they use for their answers such that the individual asking for its help may countercheck their accuracy. 

3. Improved Client Engagement

Clients often feel overwhelmed by complicated legal terminology and lengthy processes. A legal chatbot simplifies this by providing easy-to-understand responses, ensuring better engagement and satisfaction. For example, a law firm can only handle a limited number of clients at a time. However, with a legal chatbot, firms can assist multiple clients simultaneously, scaling their services without requiring additional human resources.

How is AI used in the legal profession?

1. Legal Research Assistance

Legal professionals spend hours researching case laws, precedents, and regulations. A legal chatbot can quickly retrieve relevant information, saving valuable time. Online AI chatbots can sift through massive legal databases in seconds, presenting summarized insights tailored to specific legal questions.

2. Contract Generation and Review

Drafting contracts is a time-consuming process. A legal chatbot can generate standard legal documents, such as non-disclosure agreements, employment contracts, and lease agreements, with minimal human intervention. Some online AI chatbots even review contracts to identify potential risks and compliance issues.

3. Client Onboarding and Consultation

New client intake often involves repetitive paperwork and basic queries. A legal chatbot can streamline the onboarding process by collecting client details, explaining legal procedures, and setting up appointments with human lawyers.

4. Litigation Support

During legal proceedings, a legal chatbot can assist lawyers by organizing case files, summarizing depositions, and even suggesting potential legal arguments based on past cases.

Client services are made way easier with the use of a legal AI chatbot—for example, in the case of businesses and companies, which need to stay updated with legal compliance requirements. AI chatbot uses include tracking rules and regulatory changes and alerting businesses about legal updates relevant to their operations.

5. Legal Aid and Pro Bono Services

Legal AI chatbots have an extremely particular yet relevant use—for those who cannot afford legal counsel, a legal chatbot serves as an initial or starting point of legal aid, offering basic legal advice and directing users to appropriate legal resources.

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Risks and Ethical Concerns of Legal AI Chatbots in Philippine Legal Practice

While Legal AI chatbots are helpful in making our jobs easier & more efficient, it doesn’t eliminate the fact that relying solely on them can bring about certain risks.

1. Non-Disclosure of AI Usage

Non-disclosure of AI usage in any step of the legal process presents ethical concerns that are yet to be address.

While still not binding on us, House of Representatives in the 20th Congress has proposed House Bill (HB) 3480 which states in Section 5(b) that “entities in the Private Sector must disclose the use of AI in customer-facing platforms, service delivery, and any decision-making that involves personal, financial, health, educational, or employment-related data.” This, if passed, ensures initial guidelines on ethical concerns surrounding legal chatbots. 

2. Data Privacy Violations 

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have both warned the public that while AI Chatbots are helpful in our daily lives, you must be careful with the data you provide to the platforms especially, sensitive and personal ones. Violations of the Data Privacy Act might occur in our daily interactions with legal AI chatbots if not used properly.

3. Erroneous Citations

A lawyer last August 14 was found to have erroneously used Legal AI’s help in crafting her pleadings. The Sandiganbayan called her out stating that the quotations and case numbers she cited in her pleadings were either non-existent or inaccurate. 

This news report comes as a warning for the members of the legal field to always countercheck all legal AI chatbot answers and subject them to human scrutiny before passing anything to the courts.

Philippine Legal Framework on AI Chatbots

Just last year, the Supreme Court of the Philippines has revealed its plan to establish an “AI Governance Framework for the Judiciary” pursuant to the growing artificial intelligence (AI) industry in judicial processes. It was stated by Senior Associate Justice Leonen that this will “provide standards for using AI in court administration, such as human resource, finance, and security, as well as in legal research, document analysis, courtroom applications, and case management.” 

Currently, the judiciary has taken steps towards AI innovation in the courtrooms. Developments such as the implementation of a voice-to-text transcription software for court stenographers in the Sandiganbayan and select first-and second-level courts and the pilot testing of AI-enhanced platforms designed to streamline legal research in several offices within the Court.

Examples of Legal Chatbots

Now more than ever, the market of legal chatbots is saturated. Thus, there is a need to choose the most reliable of all the available websites. Below are just some you can check out:

1. Digest AI

Look no further! Digest.PH has its own, fully-functional legal AI chatbot which is tailored to Philippine law. Digest AI can answer your legal queries, explain complicated provisions, give you a list of relevant jurisprudence as requested, and more. With all these, it even simplifies legal research for lawyers and law students alike.

2. DoNotPay

Dubbed as the “world’s first robot lawyer,” DoNotPay is an online AI chatbot that helps users fight parking tickets, claim flight compensations, and handle consumer rights disputes. Its AI-driven automation makes legal assistance more accessible to the general public. In fact, DoNotPay has helped appeal over $4M in parking fines in just 21 months.

3. LawBot

LawBot is a legal chatbot developed by Cambridge University students—as such, it was initially tailored primarily for law students. However, it goes beyond that—it helps crime victims understand their rights and provides preliminary legal guidance, making justice more accessible.

4. ROSS Intelligence

Although not a traditional legal chatbot, ROSS Intelligence utilizes AI to assist lawyers in legal research, providing precise case law recommendations and legal insights—it focuses specifically on helping lawyers draft legal documents.

5. Worktual’s Lukas

Lukas, Worktual’s standard chatbot, manages routine tasks like appointment bookings, scheduling, form submissions, and payment processing across many web platforms. It helps a lot in lawyer-client relations such that it ensures efficiency in responses & meetings as well as obtaining standard legal forms.

The Future of Legal Chatbots in Philippine Law

So, where is the legal field headed with legal AI chatbots?

The evolution of AI chatbot uses in the legal industry continues to accelerate. As AI technology advances, online AI chatbots will become more sophisticated, offering deeper legal analysis and even predictive insights on case outcomes. The Philippines has already taken the following steps towards innovation:

• The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) just last year relaunched the AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0 to incorporate advancements in the AI technology, including generative AI. It sought to highlight ethical AI usage, strengthen legal policies on AI, and encourage innovation and development.

• The DTI also launched the Center for AI Research (CAIR), which serves as the Philippines research hub specifically for AI. CAIR aims to create AI solutions for “regional concerns, sustainable agriculture, urban planning, and disaster resilience.”

• The Department of Information and Communications (DICT) also formulated the National Cybersecurity Plan (NSCP) 2023-2028 including how to minimize national security risks for a secure, open and peaceful ICT sphere. 

While the legal bases for the development of legal AI Chatbots is scarce if any, the Philippines is a receptive environment in which AI innovations through chatbots can be executed. Features such as organized document sets tailored to a lawyer’s practice and more sophisticated conversations from legal AI chatbots are just some of the things to look forward to in the future.

As technology continues to evolve, online AI chatbots will play an even greater role in legal practice. Law firms should seek to embrace this innovation to gain a competitive edge, while clients will likewise benefit from faster, more efficient legal services. With advancements in AI, the legal industry is becoming smarter and more responsive, ensuring justice and legal support are just a chat away.

Key Takeaways

• A legal chatbot is an AI-driven software application designed to assist legal professionals and clients by making routin legal tasks easier & quicker to do.

• The benefits of using a legal AI chatbot includes increased accessibility to legal information, reduced risk of human error, and improved lawyer-client relations.

• Legal AI chatbots are used for legal research assistance, contract generation and review, client onboarding and consultation, court support, and pro bono services.

• Aside from Digest PH, international websites such as DoNotPay, LawBot, ROSS Intelligence, and Worktual’s Lukas also offer AI chatbot services 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where can I ask for free legal advice in the Philippines?

Free legal advice may be given by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), the Office of the Legal Aid Offices at various universities such as the UP College of Law and the San Beda College of Law - Legal Aid Bureau (LAB), or specialized organizations like the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

Are legal AI chatbots allowed in the Philippines?

Yes, legal AI chatbots are allowed in the Philippines but answers derived from such cannot be binding in litigation & law school recitations. Rechecking is always a must. 

Is there any free AI chatbot?

Digest PH offers 3 free answers per month with a free account however, to maximize its legal chatbot, unlimited AI answers are given to users who avail of Recitation Ready package for as low as P399/month.

Conclusion

While the use of AI chatbots in the legal field is new territory, they already have their fair share of benefits and risks. As logical & ethical beings, it is within our ability to decide which, when, and how to use legal chatbots to assist us in our daily tasks.