Generative AI is now embedded in legal practice, with seventy percent of law firm attorneys using it at least weekly. But the platform a lawyer chooses determines what supervisory practices are even possible. A free consumer chatbot that trains on user inputs forecloses certain client matters from AI assistance entirely, while an upgraded paid tier or a legal-specific platform with proper data handling expands the work that can responsibly be delegated. Choosing the right platform for the right task is not an efficiency question. It is a supervisory question, governed by Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6, 5.1, and 5.3.

This webinar surveys the current AI landscape for legal practice across three platform categories: free consumer tools (the no-cost tiers of ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and NotebookLM), upgraded paid tiers of those same general-purpose tools (which generally offer different data handling, larger context windows, and additional features), and legal-specific platforms built for the profession (Lexis+ AI, Westlaw AI-Assisted Research, CoCounsel). Participants will examine the confidentiality differences across these categories, including who sees inputs, who trains on them, and what terms of service actually permit. The session then introduces two practical tools that organize task selection: the Learn / Develop / Polish task categories, which describe three different kinds of engagement AI can have with legal work, and the AI Decision Grid, a 2x2 framework that evaluates each task by AI time savings and required human oversight, sorting tasks into Keep Human-Driven, AI-Assisted + Verify, AI Optional, and AI Sweet Spot quadrants. Both frameworks adapt across practice contexts.

Learning outcomes. 

After this session, participants will be able to:

1. Distinguish free consumer AI tools, upgraded paid tiers, and legal-specific platforms, and identify the confidentiality implications of each;
2. Apply the Learn / Develop / Polish categories to common legal tasks;
3. Use the AI Decision Grid to sort tasks by appropriate AI involvement; and
4. Explain why platform and task selection are supervisory decisions under Louisiana Rules 1.6, 5.1, and 5.3.

This is the second webinar in the three-part AI Explorer Series, which establishes the foundation for responsible AI use in legal practice and is required for participants planning to attend the AI Navigator Workshop.