Accelerating AI Adoption in Legal Solutions with Rapid Proof of Concepts
Avinash Bonu
Head of Legal Tech
Iota Analytics
Jonathan Nystrom
Senior Advisor
Iota Analytics
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the legal industry, streamlining workflows, enhancing accuracy, and enabling data-driven decision-making. However, for many legal professionals, the journey to AI adoption is filled with uncertainty and occasionally it leads to calamity. Legal teams commonly wonder “Will this project require too much of my time?” or “Will this go off the rails and hurt my reputation in some unexpected way?”
Avinash Bonu has implemented over 40 distinct AI solutions from inception and shares here some of what he has learned along the way. In a departure from the conventional wisdom to “move fast and break things,” Avinash urges legal teams to “move smart and make mistakes on a small-scale.”
Traditional AI implementations can take months before demonstrating value, leaving firms questioning whether they are investing in the right solution. Some leading legal AI vendors ask for millions of dollars and NDAs, and others describe AI implementation as a 3-year journey! This all feels new, but it isn’t. The early days of eDiscovery were marked by wildly variant and inconsistent expectation of timing, pricing, accuracy and vocabulary, and pretty quickly the savvy legal players began demanding rapid proof of concept (POC) projects before committing to long-term efforts. “I remember having to explain that printed emails are simply digital files that underwent an additional step before being entered into evidence,” says Jonathan Nystrom. “Back then, capturing an electronic file and leaving it in electronic form felt radical, but today hardly anyone remembers the old way. That’s how it will be with AI in five years.”
Instead of waiting for months to see results, legal teams should expect to see a working PoC within days. A PoC provides a clear, tangible view of what to expect from AI-powered legal solutions, offering immediate insights into functionality, accuracy, and real-world application.
Why Rapid PoCs Matter
In the legal industry, precision and reliability are critical. Without a tested and proven AI application, firms risk adopting solutions that don’t align with their specific needs. Rapid PoCs eliminate uncertainty by:
Providing Immediate Validation – Rather than making decisions based on abstract promises, firms can see AI in action, ensuring it meets their unique requirements. Also, sometimes even the best partners get things wrong, and seeing that immediately creates the chance to get it right in the next iteration whereas seeing that after the solution is fine-tuned and complete leads to conflict, contention, and recriminations
Reducing Implementation Risk – By testing AI in real-world legal scenarios, teams can identify gaps, fine-tune capabilities, and confirm compliance before full deployment. There’s nothing like seeing your own data in a new environment to bring clarity to the effort.
Accelerating Adoption – When legal teams experience firsthand how AI streamlines contract analysis, case research, or compliance tracking, they gain confidence in integrating the technology into their practice.
In legal process and factory work, it is “rework” that destroys productivity. Rework happens when mistakes are not found and corrected early, and when safeguards are not put in place to prevent recurrence. Document reviewers know this principle well, and eDiscovery professionals live by it. The same approach works for AI – start small and fast, learn quickly, and scale at pace.
“Rework is the silent cost center of every legal tech project” says Avinash. “For instance, you might be deploying an AI model to classify legal documents by matter type. If edge cases aren't caught in time, you'll later be untangling misrouted files, retraining classifiers, and re-explaining results to stakeholders. That’s why you get a PoC built: to spot it early, fix it fast, and move forward with confidence.”
Real-World Legal AI in Action
Imagine implementing an AI solution for contract review. Instead of waiting for a full-scale deployment, a PoC can quickly demonstrate how the AI extracts key clauses, flags potential risks, and suggests revisions – all within days. Likewise, in litigation support, a PoC could showcase how AI identifies relevant precedents, analyzes case similarities, or enhances legal research efficiency.
At Iota Analytics, we prioritize rapid, explainable, and practical AI implementation. Our approach of using the CurAIte framework ensures that legal teams not only see results quickly but also understand and trust them. Unlike conventional AI solutions that require months of development before proving their worth, we empower firms with real-world AI applications they can test and refine almost immediately.
Partner with Experts Who Understand Legal AI
Legal professionals require more than just AI expertise – they need partners who understand the intricacies of the legal industry. AI solutions should align with regulatory frameworks, ethical standards, and the nuanced workflows of legal practice. By working with AI experts who are also well-versed in legal technology, firms can ensure that their AI-powered solutions are not only effective but also explainable, auditable, and built for legal excellence.
Turn uncertainty into confidence with a working PoC in days. Partner with AI experts who understand your legal challenges and deliver results you can trust.
