AI is here to revolutionize your law firm, moving beyond simple prompts to actively handling your tasks. This Lawyerist Podcast episode is your essential guide. Zack Glaser sits down with Dr. Charreau Bell, a senior data scientist and assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, who's helping law students and faculty use AI in truly meaningful ways. 

This isn’t just theoretical—you’ll get real clarity on what it means to use AI well in your firm, right now. We break down the crucial difference between merely using an AI model and actually "training" one, so you understand what's happening behind the scenes. You’ll also learn when it's safe (and risky!) to send client data into cloud-based AI tools, and how you can even run powerful AI models right on your own computer for ultimate privacy. 

But here's where it gets really exciting: we explore how AI is evolving beyond simple prompts into "agentic systems" that can plan, reason, and act on your behalf. Think of AI not just as a tool, but as a proactive assistant that can break down complex tasks and execute them using various "tools" you provide. This isn't just about automating simple tasks; it’s about offloading work that previously required significant expertise, freeing you to focus on more creative and complex legal challenges. 

If this episode sparks questions about the data in your firm and how you can leverage it, check out the “free small firm scorecard”. It’s a quick assessment to help you get a data-driven view of your firm and identify areas for smart improvements as you embark on your AI journey. 

Listen to our other episodes about Artificial Intelligence:  

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Chapters/Timestamps: 

00:00 - Introduction: Beyond Simple AI Prompts 

03:20 - How Data Science Helps Lawyers 

04:32 - Automating Document Review and Information Extraction 

07:10 - Understanding How AI Models Work (Training vs. Using) 

13:25 - Secure AI: Running Models Locally and with Cloud Providers 

17:16 - Training AI Models with Limited Data (Transfer Learning) 

28:16 - The Power of Agentic AI Systems 

34:24 - Interacting with Agentic AI and Security Considerations 

38:21 - The Importance of Data Organization in the Age of AI 

43:46 - The Future of AI: Automating the Unwanted