In my legal costs work, I see big changes coming with AI during 2023.

Doing this work, I am closely involved in drafting bills of costs and negotiating party-party costs for clients. This includes where I am retained by other lawyers to deal with the costs side of things after a hearing or trial.

With the advent of AI, many of the tasks associated with this work are becoming more efficient and automated, with the use of AI-powered e-billing software.

AI-powered e-billing software can automatically review and analyze legal bills, highlighting any potential overcharges or discrepancies.

This can significantly improve the accuracy and speed of cost assessments, making the process more efficient for both the lawyer and the client.

It can also assist in identifying patterns, trends, and outliers in billing data which can help negotiate costs.

One real-world example of this is the use of AI-powered e-billing software in identifying and flagging overcharges.

AI presents a big opportunity for costs lawyers to adapt and evolve our skills to stay ahead of the curve. Costs disputes have traditionally been maddeningly costly (pardon the pun), driving the ultimate client to despair after having already spent so much on the actual case. This is about to change big-time.

AI-powered e-billing software is the biggest advance in costs for decades and we have only scratched the surface.