Unblocking Justice: AI Solutions for Common Court Challenges
June 17, 2024 by Ashlin McMaken
The swift rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its incorporation into everyday life is reshaping entire industries, including the legal system. That’s precisely what our blog series aims to explore: the practical applications of AI in the courts.
This article is the next step in that exploration. It focuses specifically on the challenges that AI can help address.
Before we dive in, let's be clear about what type of AI we’re referring to in this discussion about AI in the courts. In our previous blog in the series, we described the different types of AI and, importantly, the distinction between generative and non-generative AI. Our discussion going forward will be limited to the latter. The AI solutions we’re referring to here focus on AI-enabled document understanding and workflow automation. It's about using advanced tech to make sense of legal documents automatically and streamline day-to-day operations. Basically, it performs work just as it would be done by a human.
Ready to see how this type of AI is transforming the court system? Let’s dive in.
Courtroom Realities: Four Key Challenges
In the day-to-day operations of the legal system, challenges loom large. Here, we’ve pinpointed and dissected four crucial and common hurdles that courts grapple with routinely.
1. The workload is overwhelming. Simply put, the incoming work often surpasses the available manpower of the court. Courts operate under a relentless influx of data that demands meticulous attention. The sheer volume alone poses a significant obstacle. Manual processing consumes an exorbitant amount of time.
The worker-powered, time-intensive approach not only strains resources but also introduces a considerable margin for error. Inaccuracies in the processing phase further exacerbate the workload, necessitating additional time for corrections down the line.
This challenge is compounded by a critical worker gap, particularly at the administrative (clerk) level. The existing workforce finds itself stretched thin, with staff often working weekends and overtime to manage the load.
The issue is not only quantitative but also qualitative: Longtime clerks, a repository of institutional knowledge, are retiring, leaving behind gaps that new hires struggle to fill. The transition of responsibilities is often accompanied by inconsistencies in processes, which creates a ripple effect of inefficiencies throughout the court system.
Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive understanding of the workload dynamics and the instrumentation of innovative solutions that scale beyond the limitations of the current manual processes.
2. Burnout is far too common. This significant challenge is emerging thanks to the relentless pace of court proceedings amidst challenges with adequate staffing.
The weight of an excessive workload directly contributes to this issue, and statistics underscore the prevalence and impact of burnout across industries. Fourty-nine percent of workers reported feeling at least “somewhat” burned out in a 2023 report by McKinsey. And 51% listed “better work-life balance” as their top hope for the future.
According to global senior risk professionals, workplaces are right to be concerned. A full 80% of those surveyed for the International SOS Risk Outlook Report 2024 predict burnout will have a significant impact on businesses this year.
When it comes to court work, that burden of burnout primarily falls on administrative staff, whose tasks are often repetitive and menial. It’s these professionals who grapple with information overload because they deal directly with the copious amounts of data coming into the court system. The demand for swift processing and fast decision-making, driven by both public expectations and the court's imperative to operate efficiently, further intensifies the pressure on these professionals.
Beyond the tangible challenges, the emotional toll on court personnel is significant. A high-stakes environment coupled with the emotional weight of the cases contributes to heightened stress levels. Recognizing and addressing worker burnout is not just a matter of productivity but also essential for the well-being of the individuals steering the intricate processes within the court system.
3. Customer service is lacking. The limited availability of administrative staff, burdened by the monumental backlogs of data, paperwork, and filing, directly impacts the court's capacity to deliver timely and effective customer service. As clerks grapple with overwhelming workloads and data backlogs that seem insurmountable, the potential for delays and suboptimal service to the public becomes inevitable.
It's crucial to recognize that this challenge is not a result of shortcomings on the part of administrative staff but rather a consequence of a system that may not be providing them with the necessary tools and support.
Addressing this issue requires a holistic approach that goes beyond blaming individuals and focuses on restructuring processes to set clerks up for success.
4. There is a significant (and rightful) demand for swift justice. There are several, compounding factors of modern day, emphasizing this expectation:
- The degree to which we are all consistently served by systems built for instant gratification
- The rampant availability of real-time data online
- The increased demand for scrupulousness throughout our justice system
- The growing role of the public sector as watchdogs for justice
This urgency is not merely a product of contemporary impatience. It underscores the profound significance of justice to individuals served by and party to the courts. The public's desire to witness the judicial process unfolding in real time stems from a genuine yearning for transparency.
Unfortunately, the current state of affairs, marked by prolonged administrative processing times, contributes to a perceived slowness in the delivery of justice. This bottleneck is a direct consequence of the previously discussed challenges: an excessive workload, worker burnout, and ongoing worker gaps that collectively create a backlog of administrative processing.
Efficient dissemination of information is vital for justice to be timely and transparent. Swift access to court case documents, including filings, judgments, and rulings, holds immense value. It enables legal professionals to adequately prepare for upcoming cases, journalists to report timely news, and the public to gain a clear understanding of dispute outcomes.
Addressing this challenge requires not just a focus on the internal workings of the court but a commitment to meeting the legitimate expectations of transparency and immediacy held by the wider community.
Revolutionizing Justice Operations: The Power of AI Solutions
As we confront the entrenched challenges within the court system, AI solutions emerge as a clear leader in the effort to transform traditional practices. AI has the potential to revolutionize court operations by eliminating the drudgery of repetitive, manual tasks.
The tasks traditionally handled by court clerks are at the forefront of this transformative wave of automation. Specifically, the data processing that kicks off court proceedings.
It all starts with AI document understanding. It used to be that humans had to review documents filed with the court to determine where the included information should go and which processes needed to be initiated. Now, automated document understanding can review the document’s fields and supplied data (even in unstructured formats, like handwritten text) and determine the appropriate workflow.
Then, a specific type of process automation tool — known as a “software bot” — can seamlessly initiate court filing processes by rapidly moving the AI located data to the right places in your case management software user interfaces and kicking off the associated workflows.
It’s the same work human clerks would do, but it’s done automatically by a machine. On a desk next to the court personnel, you can see the software bots moving the mouse on the screen, enacting the usual specified rules-based processes on the human clerk’s behalf.
At some tasks, AI tools actually do a better job than people do. Because this type of AI is precise and rule-driven, the tools outclass human capabilities in reviewing documents, transferring data, and executing processes. Basically, they don’t misclassify filings, make copy-and-paste errors, or click the-wrong button.
AI tools are also far faster at processing data. Dev Technosys puts it this way: AI can solve 10 math problems in one minute, whereas the human brain can solve one math problem in five minutes. Plus, AI tools don’t need to take breaks, don’t need to sleep, can’t be distracted, and don’t experience variances in their performance ability like a human would if they’d gotten too little sleep, for example.
AI doesn't just augment the day-to-day; this "digital on-demand" liberates court personnel to better balance their workloads and focus on more complex and impactful tasks — all while minimizing employee burnout risk and improving the customer experience. AI can also actively address workforce disruptions caused by retirements, leaves, and the oh-so-common modern-day staffing shortages.
This isn't just about efficiency; it's a profound acceleration of judicial proceedings. And it isn't merely a promise; it's a tangible reality — available with the technology we have today.
In this AI-enhanced paradigm, streamlined processes lead to a happier and more efficient workforce, customers receive better experiences in court, the public benefits from faster, more accurate access to information, all while the wheels of justice turn more swiftly. Moreover, the efficiency gains translate directly to a higher return on investment for the courts, which has an undeniable impact on the future of the judicial landscape.
The fusion of AI technology with legal proceedings marks not just a leap forward but a paradigm shift towards a more effective and customer-centric court system. Interested in learning more? Stay tuned as our four-part blog series explores the impending transformation.