Industry Solutions

How are AI agents used in law firms?

Law firms use AI agents for matter intake, legal research summaries, clause extraction and document review support. The workable architecture keeps client material inside a controlled boundary: an OpenAI-compatible agents API, retrieval scoped by matter, tool calls into document management and practice systems, and lawyer review of every output. Plugsky supports 30+ models plus VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployment.

Key facts

API compatibilityOpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions (change the base URL)
Models30+ models from free to frontier tiers behind one API
Agent primitivesFunction calling, JSON mode and streaming are live
RetrievalEmbeddings and RAG over your own corpus
DeploymentPlugsky cloud, VPC, on-prem or air-gapped
PricingFlat monthly self-serve plans with fair-use usage; see the live pricing page
Matter scopingPer-matter keys and retrieval collections
ConfidentialityDeployment tiers from VPC to air-gapped for controlled content

TL;DR

  • Keep your OpenAI SDK — change the base URL and model name.
  • 30+ models behind one API, from free chat models to frontier reasoning.
  • Deployment options from hosted cloud to VPC, on-prem and air-gapped.
  • Scope retrieval per matter before any live work.
  • Treat output as a draft that a lawyer reviews and owns.

How it works, step by step

  1. Define the job, the permitted data sources and where a human must approve.
  2. Pilot on closed matters and internal know-how.
  3. Create a Plugsky account and generate an API key (free plan, no card required).
  4. Point your OpenAI SDK at the Plugsky base URL and map your model names.
  5. Index the approved corpus with embeddings and keep retrieval role-scoped.
  6. Define matter scoping and review rules before live work.
  7. Measure quality on your own samples, then scale with usage monitoring.
1Define the job, thepermitted datasources and where a2Pilot on closedmatters andinternal know-how.3Create a Plugskyaccount andgenerate an API key4Point your OpenAISDK at the Plugskybase URL and map5Index the approvedcorpus withembeddings and keep6Define matterscoping and reviewrules before live

Try it yourself

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Where AI agents pay off in law firms

Law Firms teams do not lack ideas for agents; they lack a safe path from demo to production. The pattern below targets repetitive, document-heavy work where a human can check the output, which is where agents earn their place first. Treat the agent as a new team member with a narrow brief, explicit permissions and a probation period, and rollout becomes an operations exercise rather than a leap of faith.

  • Matter intake — capture conflicts-relevant facts and open the file consistently
  • Research summaries — synthesise sources you supply, with citations
  • Clause extraction — pull and compare clauses across a document set
  • Review support — flag issues against a checklist for lawyer review

A reference architecture for law firms agents

A research agent retrieves from a matter-scoped collection and returns cited summaries, while a review agent compares clause text against your playbook and lists deviations for a lawyer. Nothing is filed or sent without lawyer sign-off.

  1. Matter-scoped keys and retrieval collections
  2. Read-first tools into DMS and practice management
  3. Playbook and checklist configuration
  4. Full audit logs for client and regulatory inquiries

Data governance and human oversight

Client confidentiality is the controlling constraint. Scope retrieval per matter, keep content inside the boundary your firm has approved, and treat every agent output as a junior associate's draft: useful, but reviewed and owned by a qualified lawyer.

  • Per-matter access control
  • Deployment tier validated against confidentiality obligations
  • Audit logs with user identity
  • Lawyer review before client delivery

From pilot to production

Pilot on internal know-how and closed matters, then move to live matters for research and clause work. Track citation quality and review time before expanding.

Keep the rollout reversible: run the agent in shadow mode alongside the current process, compare outputs on your own samples, and move it into the workflow only when the evidence holds. Document what you measured so expanding to the next team is a decision, not a hope.

Honest comparison

CapabilityPlugskyTypical cloud AI APIBuilding in-house
API compatibilityDrop-in base URL changeUsually compatibleFull rewrite
Model access30+ models behind one APIVendor's own catalogueYou host each model
PricingFlat monthly self-serve plans; see live pricingOften per-tokenGPU + ops cost
DeploymentCloud, VPC, on-prem or air-gappedUsually vendor cloud regionsYou own the stack
ConfidentialityBoundary-controlled deployment plus matter scopingVariesYou build it
Work productDraft only; lawyer owns deliveryVariesYou enforce it

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to rewrite our application?

No. The chat completions API is OpenAI-compatible, so you change the base URL and model name and keep your existing SDK.

Is there a free plan?

Yes — the free plan includes two free AI models, plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite, with no credit card required.

How is pricing structured?

Self-serve plans are flat monthly with fair-use usage and no per-token charges; see the live pricing page for current plans.

Which endpoints are live today?

Chat, streaming, JSON mode, function calling, embeddings, RAG and agents are live. Audio, images, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses endpoints are coming soon — check the docs before planning around them.

Is client data used to train models?

Do not assume behaviour you have not verified. Choose the deployment tier that matches your confidentiality obligations and confirm data-handling terms in writing.

Can agents draft client advice?

They can draft research summaries and document work product; a qualified lawyer must review, correct and own anything delivered to a client.

Does it work with our DMS?

Through tool calls you define — your team wires the DMS endpoints and keeps permissions authoritative.