The Courts Are Going AI-First. Law Firms Should Too
Singapore’s judiciary is already using AI. Here’s what that means for the rest of the legal industry.
The Courts’ Vision: 3 Ways AI Can Be Used in Judicial Systems
1. Summarising Legal Texts
LLMs (large language models) are already capable of generating usable case summaries. As Mr. Tan explained, they can give judges and court officers a quick, coherent sense of what a case is about. While they won’t replace detailed legal reading, they’re a powerful tool for accelerating understanding.
2. Evidence Review and Synthesis
The courts are also interested in how AI can sift through large volumes of evidence and produce composite documents. This has the potential to save hours of human review time—especially in document-heavy litigation—while highlighting key material for further analysis.
3. Improving Access to Justice
For unrepresented litigants, AI could play a critical support role. Mr. Tan spoke about the courts’ ongoing efforts to explore AI that helps these individuals organise their materials and prepare for hearings. By enabling clearer submissions, AI doesn’t just support litigants—it helps courts make better, fairer decisions.
A Framework for Adoption: The Traffic Light Analogy
To help the legal community navigate what’s acceptable, Mr. Tan proposed a “traffic light” system:
- Green Light: Tasks like summarising evidence, generating speech-to-text transcripts, or drafting non-decisional documents.
- Yellow Light: Use cases involving document drafting for court proceedings—promising, but needing oversight.
- Red Light: Predictive AI tools that attempt to forecast case outcomes or render legal judgments. These, he warned, are not appropriate for current use.
The Message Is Clear: The Light Is Green
What’s striking is how proactive the courts are in this space. AI is being taken seriously—not as a threat, but as a tool to be managed responsibly. And with the Ministry of Law also encouraging responsible innovation, the signal to the broader legal industry is clear: the light is green.
We’re already seeing this shift take shape globally. Tools like Harvey are being piloted at top-tier firms. Lexis+ AI, Casetext CoCounsel, and Thomson Reuters' new LLM products are transforming litigation and research workflows. Here in Singapore, platforms like Galleo are helping IP professionals streamline trademark pre-filing through explainable, locally trained AI systems.
The courts are moving forward. So are clients. Legal AI isn’t a trend—it’s the direction the system itself is heading.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Businesses and individuals should consult with qualified legal counsel regarding their specific circumstances.