"Honestly, I Don't Want the Opposing Side to Use It": Lawyer on Legal Research AI — P&M Law Office Introduces Legalscape

Legalscape Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Itsuki Yagita; hereinafter 'Legalscape') has published a case study on the introduction of its legal research platform 'Legalscape' at P&M Law Office (Location: Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Attorney: Yuki Hayashimoto).

P&M Law Office introduced 'Legalscape' with the aim of improving research efficiency and output quality. Within approximately three months of introduction, the firm has achieved results that contribute to the overall sophistication of its operations, including an estimated 90% reduction in research time, improved document quality, and use in strategic planning for litigation and negotiations.

■ Full Interview Article Now Available

A detailed interview article regarding this introduction is available at the following URL:

URL: https://www.legalscape.jp/case/pandmlo

■ Background: Limitations of Library Research and the Need for Efficiency in a Solo Practice

P&M Law Office handles a wide range of cases, from general civil matters to corporate legal affairs, focusing on divorce and traffic accidents. While Representative Attorney Yuki Hayashimoto maintained a one-stop service system for all cases, research tasks had become a bottleneck.

Investigating books and precedents required trips to the Osaka Bar Association library, forcing the firm to conduct research in bulk once every few weeks. This led to delays in cases waiting for research results and concerns about missing information while manually checking documents one by one.

Although the firm tried e-book services and generative AI tools, they could not be used practically due to concerns about content comprehensiveness and information reliability, making the establishment of a trustworthy research foundation an urgent issue.

■ Main Results from the Introduction

Significant Reduction in Research Time: Including travel time to the library, research time was reduced by an estimated 90%. In the inheritance case that triggered the introduction, research that previously took 3 hours was completed in just 30 minutes. The ability to instantly look up questions as they arise has made managing multiple cases simultaneously much smoother.

Improved Output Quality: The ability to conduct comprehensive research has improved the accuracy of literature cited in documents. In a case involving power harassment, the firm pinpointed a court ruling that recognized compensation far exceeding the usual standard and used it in document preparation.

Realization of Strategic Litigation and Negotiation: By utilizing the AI research function 'Watson & Holmes,' the firm can now identify not only precedents supporting their own arguments but also precedents that could support the opposing party's counterarguments. Being able to assess the 'strength of an argument' in advance aids in strategic planning to maximize client interests.

Peace of Mind through Verification: The ability to immediately access the original sources underlying AI-generated summaries allows the firm to verify the accuracy of the summaries firsthand before using them in practice, providing peace of mind.

■ Comment

Yuki Hayashimoto, Representative Attorney, P&M Law Office

'I think many lawyers feel anxious about whether they have truly exhausted their research, especially in a solo practice like ours. Legalscape completely alleviates that anxiety. It allows immediate access to reliable books and precedents, and you can verify the sources with your own eyes. I am also very satisfied with the breadth of the content covered; I was surprised that even detailed administrative notices are included. It has become an indispensable tool not just for research but for strategic planning to maximize client interests.'

■ Company Profile: P&M Law Office

Representative: Representative Attorney Yuki Hayashimoto

Location: 3F Dojima Axis Building, 2-2-28 Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Business: General civil matters (focus on divorce and traffic accidents), corporate legal affairs

◼️ About the Legal Research Platform 'Legalscape'

'Legalscape' is a legal research platform launched in June 2021. It uses AI to instantly summarize necessary legal information, providing the fastest access to what you need to know.

▼ 'Legalscape' Service Site

https://www.legalscape.jp/

▼ Service Material Download

Detailed materials for 'Legalscape' can be downloaded here:

https://www.legalscape.jp/contact

In September 2023, the company introduced an AI research function combining generative AI with its proprietary natural language processing technology, a first in Japan. The platform is valued for its next-generation experience, allowing users to view books, laws, guidelines, etc., at a glance, and for offering one of the industry's largest content libraries (over 44,000 items, including over 4,500 books). It is used by legal professionals nationwide, including the Big Five law firms, major corporate legal departments, community-focused law firms, social insurance labor consultant offices, and judicial scrivener offices.

■ About Legalscape Inc.

Legalscape is a legal data & AI company with a purpose of 'implementing a future legal society through the co-creation of people and technology.' Its strengths lie in advanced natural language processing technology and fundamental research and application of generative AI in the legal field. The company aims to support intellectual production related to law and realize a richer legal society by delivering legal knowledge more accurately, quickly, and to every corner of society.

Company Overview

Company Name: Legalscape Inc.

Representative: President and CEO Itsuki Yagita

Location: Todaimae Office (Headquarters)

8F Todaimae HiRAKU GATE, 2-3-10 Mukogaoka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0023

Established: September 14, 2017

Official Website: https://www.legalscape.jp/corp