LEAP's innovations streamline practice, cut costs — and just keep getting better
This article was produced in partnership with LEAP
Family law demands more from its practitioners than just legal expertise. From balancing heavy caseloads to managing emotional clients, family lawyers must wear many hats. As artificial intelligence (AI) cements itself as a must-have, LEAP is at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions tailored to the unique challenges of family law in Canada.
“Family lawyers deal with sensitive information, tight deadlines, and clients who can’t afford huge bills,” explains Christine Montgomery, VP of Family Law. “LEAP aims to help by offering an all-in-one solution. We bundle practice management, DivorceMate tools, and now, groundbreaking AI features so that the client’s limited resources can be focused on what matters most - the lawyer’s expertise, judgment, strategy, empathy, and advocacy.”
Unlocking efficiency: How AI tools transform family law
Considering the sheer volume of documents and information, an efficient focus on detail becomes the linchpin of effective practice. The need for rapid research and the pressure to deliver cost-effective service in family law means that finding ways to offload administrative or less skilled tasks is an absolute necessity.
As a company that makes it a core mission to stay attune to users’ ever-evolving needs, LEAP’s AI-driven tools are designed to tackle these challenges head-on. One of the integrations LEAP offers is LawY, a quick and easy research solution.
“You can ask LawY any legal question, and it will provide you with precedents and caselaw,” explains Montgomery. “But what sets LawY apart from other AI research tools in the market is the verification component – users can ask any AI generated response to be verified by a lawyer, providing added assurance.”
While LawY streamlines legal research, Matter AI takes efficiency a step further by transforming how lawyers interact with their own case files. A game-changer for many practitioners, it allows lawyers to ask the software any question about a client file.
“You can use Matter AI to get the lay of the land in a client file – determine the important facts, the steps taken to date, or a chronology of events in a matter,” Montgomery says. “You can also use it to prepare draft documents — a letter updating the client on the status of the file, for example, or outlining the additional financial documentation required. In cases involving many documents, it’s a huge time saver.”
Matter AI combs through everything from pleadings and emails to client correspondence and financial statements. It also references where it got the information, allowing lawyers to verify or further investigate as needed. Instead of it taking a student or clerk hours to deliver, Matter AI can complete the task in a matter of minutes.
AI Prompts provide practical day-to-day impact
Aiming to provide a truly comprehensive experience that keeps pace with cutting-edge developments, LEAP recently rolled out AI Prompts. A step beyond research and file management, in conjunction with LEAP’s existing AI tools, AI Prompts streamline one of the most time-consuming aspects of family law: document drafting.
Built on the foundation of Matter AI, the engineered prompts make it easier than ever for lawyers to generate first drafts of complex documents like affidavits and court forms. While it’s possible to have Matter AI generate these kinds of documents, it would require a great deal of instruction and revision to produce a quality document.
The team at LEAP has now created a single prompt that removes that burden. This innovation means that what used to take hours can now be accomplished in a fraction of the time.
“It’s like Matter AI on steroids,” Montgomery says. “AI Prompts provide you with the first draft of a complex document — and a quality draft at that — right off the bat. It’s then just a matter of tweaking it.”
LEAP’s prompts have already been tailored for a range of family law needs, from affidavits for different types of relief to detailed sections of family law application forms. The team is reaching out for client feedback on what other prompts would be useful, with an eye to including complex letters, such as reporting letters as well.
While Matter AI is available for all LEAP users, AI Prompts is currently available in BC and Ontario where LEAP offers court forms, and Montgomery says an Alberta expansion is already in progress.
Meeting the tall order: The future of family law
The expectations placed on family lawyers are, as Montgomery puts it, “a tall order.” LEAP’s mission is to help practitioners meet these demands by providing a single, integrated solution that evolves alongside their needs.
“We’re just going to keep building, expanding, making it better and better,” Montgomery says, adding she encourages law firms who haven’t yet embraced the possibilities to measure the impact of AI by comparing files handled with and without these tools.
Reflecting on her career, Montgomery is optimistic. She’s had a front-row seat to many changes in family law, and “it’s fascinating to work with AI and see what it’s capable of,” she says.
“The benefits are only going to continue to grow and as long as AI is used responsibly, it’s going to make the lives of lawyers easier, spending less time on menial tasks and more time lawyering, making it more rewarding,” she predicts.
In a field where expectations are high and resources often stretched thin, LEAP’s evolving AI tools are poised to help family lawyers deliver more value. It’s time to be clear-eyed about the role of technology in the profession: “AI will not replace lawyers,” Montgomery notes. “But lawyers who use AI will replace those who don't!”
