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The conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal system has fundamentally shifted from courts and legal organizations debating whether it belongs in legal environments to how to integrate AI responsibly into daily operations. For courts facing expanding caseloads, staffing shortages and budget constraints, AI-powered legal technologies have become operational tools for improving efficiency, access to justice and administrative effectiveness across the legal lifecycle. While AI can significantly enhance legal workflows, responsibility for judgement, accuracy and decision-making must remain with human professionals.

From Policy Discussion to Practical Adoption

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Year 2 Report on the Impact of AI on the Practice of Law makes clear that AI adoption in the legal profession has entered a new phase. Early concerns centered on ethics, confidentiality and professional responsibility. Today, the focus has shifted toward responsible deployment, governance and workflow integration where efficiency gains are immediate and measurable. These applications allow courts to redirect limited staff resources toward higher-value legal and judicial work rather than routine manual processes.

Common AI-enabled courtroom use cases already in practice include:

Organizing and searching large volumes of filings, briefs and evidence

Creating unofficial or preliminary real-time transcriptions

Summarizing motions, exhibits and prior case materials

Supporting scheduling, workload analysis and calendar management

This is especially important for Federal, State and Local courts that must maintain service levels despite limited resources. AI-enabled legal technologies provide a validated path to modernizing court operations while preserving judicial independence, transparency and accountability.

Real-World Applications Delivering Value

AI adoption is already producing tangible operational benefits across court systems.

Administrative and workflow automation applications include drafting routine administrative orders and standard court notices, managing scheduling and calendar coordination, conducting workload studies and organizing court documents and filings for improved retrieval. These implementations reduce administrative burden while improving consistency in standard legal processes.

Document review and case support capabilities allow legal teams to summarize briefs, motions, pleadings, depositions and exhibits at scale. AI systems create timelines of relevant events across large case records and assist with legal research when trained on reputable legal authorities. Some implementations identify misstated law or omitted legal authority in filings, though human verification remains mandatory for all outputs.

Transcription, translation and accessibility services are also being rapidly adopted. Courts are generating unofficial or preliminary real-time transcriptions to accelerate case documentation. Systems provide preliminary translations of foreign-language documents and support accessibility services for self-represented litigations navigating complex court procedures. These applications expand access to justice by reducing cost barriers and improving navigation of legal systems for citizens.

Scaling Court Operations Under Budget Constraints

Rising caseloads combined with constrained budgets make AI adoption particularly relevant for Government legal operations. Technology adoption has emerged as the primary driver of scalability for courts that cannot expand head count. By automating manual processes such as transcription, document review, evidence management and research, AI allows existing staff to handle higher volumes while maintaining or improving service quality.

This approach aligns with broader access-to-justice goals highlighted in the ABA report. AI-enabled tools are already helping courts improve case management, streamline dispute resolution processes and support self-represented litigants through better access to information and court services. These gains are particularly impactful for jurisdictions seeking to modernize legacy systems while preserving fairness, transparency and judicial independence.

Human Oversight and Accountability

While AI delivers meaningful efficiency gains, the ABA report stresses that AI-generated outputs may appear authoritative while containing factual or legal inaccuracies. The risk of hallucinations has not been fully resolved in any current generative AI (GenAI) tools. As a result, AI should not replace judges or court staff, nor should it be treated as an authoritative source of truth. Instead, AI should serve as an assistive technology that augments human expertise, improving documentation quality, accelerating research and making information more accessible.

Judicial guidelines outlined in the report reinforce several critical principles:

Judges and attorneys remain fully responsible for accuracy and legal reasoning

AI-generated content must always be reviewed for correctness and relevance

Overreliance on AI can introduce risks such as automation bias or misinformation

Courts adopting AI must establish clear governance frameworks that address privacy, security, transparency and oversight. Human verification of AI outputs is essential to ensuring that AI enhances documentation quality and accelerates legal research without compromising accuracy, professional responsibility and public trust.

Responsible Adoption Through Trusted Procurement

The ABA emphasizes that responsible AI adoption is not optional; it is a leadership responsibility. Human oversight, ethical use policies and ongoing evaluation remain essential to ensuring AI strengthens, rather than undermines, trust in the justice system.

Carahsoft, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, works with leading legal tech software providers to help Federal, State and Local courts modernize legacy systems, reduce administrative burden and implement AI responsibly at scale. By making these technologies accessible through trusted procurement vehicles, Carahsoft enables courts and Government legal organizations to adopt AI while aligning with established legal, ethical and operational requirements.

AI is not a substitute for legal expertise, but it is quickly becoming an indispensable tool for courts seeking efficiency, consistency and scalability. By procuring AI solutions through Carahsoft, Government courts can ensure their modernization demands will be met while maintaining legal and ethical standards. As AI continues to reshape legal operations, organizations that pair technology deployment with clear governance, training and accountability frameworks will be better positioned to deliver improved services to the public.

Ready to explore AI-enabled legal technology solutions? Explore Carahsoft’s Legal & Courtroom Technology Solutions portfolio or take a Self-Guided Tour.

Contact Carahsoft’s team at LegalTech@carahsoft.com to discuss AI solutions tailored for your organization’s needs.

In 2020, a global shift occurred that prompted many industries to embrace new technology. Legal proceedings that previously followed strict in-person protocols suddenly shifted to a virtual environment and turned to platforms like Zoom for solutions.

While in-person hearings have now resumed in most jurisdictions, hybrid court proceedings are here to stay. This new reality is the driving force behind a new partnership between Zoom, BEINCOURT and Carahsoft, who share the mutual goal of supporting a seamless transition from the virtual courtroom to a hybrid one in jurisdictions across the country.

The Benefits of Hybrid Proceedings

Carahsoft BIENCOURT Zoom Court Room Announcement Blog Embedded Image 2023

While the main benefit of virtual legal proceedings initially was continuity, other benefits quickly became apparent. Courtrooms using Zoom were able to expand access to a broader audience and make proceedings easier, more accessible and less financially burdensome for the parties involved.

Additionally, regarding court proceedings involving domestic violence or emotional abuse, the use of video technology provided victims peace-of-mind by allowing them to pursue justice through the legal system without having to share a room with their alleged abusers.

In essence, a hybrid model allows governments to reap the benefits of in-person proceedings and virtual ones. Even so, many courts need help choosing and procuring the right technology to enable this transition.

“Jurisdictions are at different stages of their technology journeys,” said Matt Mandrgoc, Head of U.S. Public Sector at Zoom. “With physical proceedings back underway, many courts are struggling to integrate video conferencing technology with traditional proceedings. That’s why this partnership and Carahsoft’s support is so important.”

Technology in the Hybrid Courtroom

As leaders in their respective spaces, BEINCOURT and Zoom are particularly well positioned to offer federal, state, and local governments a scalable, seamless way to support hybrid hearings. It is crucial for those physically in the courtroom to be able to interact with those joining virtually — just as it is crucial for the judge to remain in control of the proceedings.

By using BEINCOURT and Zoom together, the following features enable a seamless hybrid courtroom experience:

High-quality speakers and microphones
Multiple camera shots of the courtroom
Mechanisms for digital evidence presentation
Support for simultaneous language interpretation
Complete audiovisual control, including the option to stop screen or video sharing, and mute audio
Annotation and ASL capabilities for improved accessibility
The ability to play white noise to prevent attendees and jury members from hearing sidebar discussions

See a Mock Hybrid Courtroom Today

While Zoom and BEINCOURT offer the technology to power a hybrid courtroom, Carahsoft simplifies the procurement process for potential customers. Carahsoft will distribute the offering through relevant channels, tapping into their diverse public sector partner ecosystem.

Additionally, Carahsoft has built a mock hybrid courtroom simulation at its Reston, Virginia office that is also accessible virtually to remote customers and includes a bench, witness stand, counsel tables, two TVs (for screen-sharing and hybrid meetings), cameras, and miscellaneous hardware.

Sign up for a demo today to learn more about why hybrid courtrooms are here to stay.