The Importance of Hiring an Attorney in the AI Era

Hiring an attorney when you are a party to a lawsuit has always been important for Plaintiffs and Defendants alike. Attorneys, unlike artificial intelligence, are licensed professionals educated and trained to advise, counsel, advocate on your behalf, and represent your interests.

Courts in Indiana are governed by the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure and the Local Rules of the county in which your lawsuit is filed, and sometimes even an additional set of Rules, such as Commercial Court Rules. Attorneys have specific knowledge of these Rules and the interplay between same. What if a discrepancy exists amongst the Rule? Which governs? While AI may have an answer for you, an attorney has years of knowledge and training to rely upon to provide answers to such questions.

Specifically, attorneys have knowledge of the strictly enforced deadlines set forth in these Rules, including deadlines that could result in dismissal of your case or judgment entered against you if you do not comply with the Rules. If you are sued, the Summons notates your timing to respond. However, the Summons does not indicate whether this deadline includes weekends, legal holidays, or if an extension of time can be requested. These scenarios are set forth in the Rules and attorneys are intimately familiar with deadlines proscribed by same. Failure to respond to a Complaint may result in a default judgment entered against you, a possibility much too drastic to fully place in the hands of an AI response.

Further, should you decide to ever represent yourself in Indiana, you are “bound to follow the established rules of procedure and must be prepared to accept the consequences of [your] failure to do so.” Basic v. Amouri, 58 N.E.3d 980, 983-84 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016). Additionally, pro se litigants are held to the same standard as licensed attorneys. Courts have cautioned pro se litigants from utilizing AI without adequate safeguards, including citing fictitious cases and citing legitimate cases but fictitious legal holdings or quotations from said legitimate cases.

An attorney will also be able to analyze and determine whether the Complaint you received was timely filed within the statute of limitations or if the claimant failed to comply with a necessary procedural requirement prior to filing the lawsuit. While statutes of limitations may appear to be based on simple time calculations, there are nuances involved amongst statutes of limitations for various causes of action that attorneys are familiar with given their knowledge and experience to be able to evaluate your case.

What happens when you are served with discovery and you are not sure if you are required to produce all documents within the request? Is your case ripe for summary judgment? How will you make that determination?

These are important questions that benefit from an attorney’s education, training, and analysis.

While AI has become a powerful tool, it cannot represent you in the courtroom. It is more important now more than ever to hire an attorney to represent your interests.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.