About RAILS
Mission
Bring together a cross-industry group of leaders (judiciary, corporations, law firms, tech providers, access to justice orgs, etc.) to support the responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI to advance the practice of law and delivery of legal services to all.
Pillars
- Inclusive – Giving voice to every major stakeholder (we’re not there yet, but we will be);
- Collaborative – Working collectively through open dialogue, active participation, and welcome partnerships to leverage the transformative potential of AI in legal services;
- Impactful – Producing real solutions in regulation, in legal practice, in legal education, and more; and
- Responsible – Ensuring that the integrity of legal services are guarded while the opportunities of AI are captured.
Goals
Generally, RAILS aims to explore and develop best practice, guidelines, safe harbors, and standards that will make it easier for corporations, courts, and legal service providers to leverage AI responsibly. More specifically, RAILS aims to:
Develop guidelines and best practices and rails to move forward responsible AI in legal services
The top priority is creating tangible deliverables like voluntary standards, frameworks, and policy recommendations that enable the responsible integration of AI in law. The focus should be on usable guardrails that balance innovation with accountability across contexts like client engagement, courtroom proceedings, direct-to-consumer legal services, and more.
Build a broad network across law, tech, academia, and civil society
Success requires uniting a diversity of crucial perspectives in the tent. RAILS must proactively foster constructive dialogue and enduring connection among stakeholders who may not otherwise interact.
Promote education and transparent research on impacts
In addition to concrete guidelines, there is an ongoing need to grow public awareness and evaluate real-world impacts over time as AI proliferates in law. RAILS emphasizes education, transparent research, and recommendations based on real-world learnings about what works.
Advance access, equity, and accountability in legal services
The guidelines and networks should ultimately serve the purpose of leveraging AI to increase access to legal help, not widen divides. RAILS will center principles and practices that break down structural inequities and empower both legal service providers and the clients they aim to serve.
Initial Steering Committee
- Haley Altman, Strategic Advisor, Litera
- LeeAnn Black, COO, Latham & Watkins
- Andy Brereton, Vice President Legal Operations, ServiceNow
- Judge Paul Grimm, Director, Bolch Judicial Institute
- Dan Hauck, Chief Product Officer, NetDocuments
- Dan Hendy, Partner, Global Legal Operations Leader, EY
- Maya Markovich, Executive Director, Justice Technology Association
- Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, President and CEO, American Arbitration Association, Strategic Advisor, Penn Law Future of the Profession Initiative
- Subroto Mukerji, CEO, Integreon
- Adam Ruttenberg, Partner, Cooley
- Julian Tsisin, Director, Head of Legal Technology, Data and Support, Meta
- Jim Wagner, CEO, The Contract Network
- Jeff Ward, Director, Duke Center on Law & Tech
Updated April 2, 2024