Agentic AI: What Lawyers Need to Know
Artificial intelligence is already embedded in legal workflows — from contract-review bots to AI-assisted briefs. But a newer concept is gaining traction: agentic AI. It’s more than just clever algorithms; it’s software that acts with purpose and on its own to execute those workflows. Learn more about how agentic AI operates, why it matters to lawyers, and what the OBA is doing to protect the profession and the public.
Wondering Where to Start in Developing AI Policies for Your Workplace?
The OBA has compiled the Policy Checklist items arising from our first AI Week on our Real Intelligence on AI hub here: https://oba.org/resources/practice-tools/real-intelligence-on-ai/ai-newsletter/
Real Intelligence on AI Program Spotlight
Harnessing AI in the Practice of Law for Lawyers and Legal Technologists
October 20
The OBA is proud to partner with the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) in a timely program that will bring together experts in law and technology to share actionable insights, strategies, and best practices for adopting AI responsibly and effectively in legal practice and organizational settings, with a focus on:
- Generative AI Use in the Practice of Law
- How to Assess and Evaluate AI Tools
- AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute, for Legal Expertise
Following the program, join us for a networking social to make new connections, share insights, and continue the conversation.
Latest Analysis from Lawyers …
OBA members have been sharing their AI expertise and opinions in an array of intriguing Section and JUST. Magazine articles. We’ve rounded up some of the most recent AI reading:
- Artificial Intelligence in Immigration Practice: Why Our Files Now Meet the Algorithm First by Aminder Kaur Mangat
- Digital Borders and Racial Codes in AI Migration Control by Yoann Emian
- AI Content Labels – Private Sector Policy and Canada by Warren Urquhart, Governance Counsel at Toronto Hydro
- Shaping the Future: Canada’s Path to AI Governanceby Ruhana Chowhan, articling student
- AI is Here to Stay: How to Embrace it Instead of Running from It by Krystyne Rusek, Speigel Nichols Fox LLP (parts of this article were written with the assistance of AI technology, while the final version was vetted by SNF resident tech guru, Lucas Strezos)
- The Shift to a Softer Approach on AI Regulation by Charitarth Bharti, privacy and AI consultant
Did you miss out on our Critical Update on the Use of AI in Immigration Decision Making program? Stream it on-demand from our Real Intelligence archives.
… and From Around the Web
From the curious to the serious, this AI news is making headlines:
Key quote: “With buying decisions being made by agents on our behalf, marketers are tearing up the old-school rulebooks in order to understand how best to sell their products and services when decision-makers aren’t necessarily human anymore.”
- ABCA Says Lawyer Who Banned Firm from Using AI Tools Responsible for Contractor's AI Hallucinations (Canadian Lawyer)
Key quote: “The time needed to verify and cross-reference cited case authorities generated by a large language model must be planned for as part of a lawyer’s practice management responsibilities, especially during busy times and recognizing that exigencies may arise.”
Key quote: “"It's got Bette Davis' attitude, it's got Humphrey Bogart's lips … and so it's a little bit of an unfair advantage … But you know what? Bring it on. Because you can always tell them from us."
Key quote: “The more I watched replays of its actions, the more the agent gave me an unsettling, eerie feeling – not of being understood, but of being mimicked … The skin of my arms filled with the kind of goosebumps you get hearing a human-like laugh while walking home alone late at night, looking around, and only seeing a lone crow perched high up on the telephone wire.”
- Google Users are Less Likely to Click on Links When an AI Summary Appears in the Results (Pew Research Center) Key quote: “Online publishers recently have attributed declining web traffic to these summaries [“AI Overviews”] replacing traditional search results, claiming that many users are relying on the summaries instead of following links to the publishers’ websites.”
You can turn a client’s AI ‘second opinion’ into an opportunity to show the value of lawyer judgement? Modern legal clients are increasingly coming to a meeting armed with AI-generated advice on their case. Debating those ‘second opinions’ can be frustrating, but it also provides an opportunity to show the value of lawyer judgment, skill, empathy and experience. In an article in JUST. Magazine, Allan Ritchie tells us how.
A prompting exercise to understand best practices and around AI use in research
While paid AI tools trained on legal data are the best options for conducting legal research – that you will still need to independently verify! – the AI Academy is an ideal platform through which to understand the best practices, limitations and overall ethical considerations of using AI for research on general topics.
With a short fact-finding exercise, you will be able to evaluate how AI Academy virtual assistant LawQi’s search strategy differs from yours, what sources it prioritizes, how it handles follow-up questions, and what limitations it acknowledges.
- Devise a query that begins with “Tell me what leading experts are saying on … [entering a particular topic, such as “AI use in education” or “hiring trends for 2025” or “long-term effects of Daylight Saving Time”].
- Before using the AI Academy, document:
- What context you will need to supply
- What verification steps you'll need
- How you'll ensure accuracy
- Next, enter the prompt into the AI Academy, and when it has returned its answer, refine your line of questioning to get the most useful reply.
- Once you’ve got the information you were seeking, evaluate:
- Did you inadvertently share sensitive information
- How did you verify the AI's output?
- What potential ethical issues did you encounter?
- How would you modify your approach next time?
This short exercise can help you develop critical awareness of ethical considerations in AI use.
Remember: As noted in the AI Academy, LawQI queries are used for training and improvement. As such, no client information or confidential matters should be entered on the platform.
In a recent hands-on program, participating lawyers generated 250 new prompts through the OBA’s AI Academy. Find the program on-demand here.