[EDRM Editor’s Note: The opinions and positions are those of Sheila Grela.]

Why This Guide Actually Helped Me

Many AI articles are steeped in jargon and abstract promises. So when I came across Craig Ball’s The Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice, I found something different and extremely useful. This is not theory dressed up in tech-speak; it’s a practical manual for professionals navigating real legal work.

The word lawyer in the title isn’t meant to exclude others in the legal field such as paralegals, litigation support specialists, or eDiscovery professionals. Rather, it’s a nod to a well-known truth: attorneys tend to be skeptical by training and temperament. That skepticism, often mistaken for resistance, is a real hurdle that paralegals and support staff regularly navigate.

Craig Ball doesn’t simply describe what AI is. He shows how to use it effectively, ethically, and without hype. From drafting interrogatories to summarizing depositions and managing ESI meet-and-confer sessions, the guide cuts straight to the core of daily litigation practice. It meets legal professionals where they are and helps them move forward one task at a time.

Real Tasks, Real Tools

One thing that stood out immediately was how grounded the guide is. It skips the usual tech jargon and focuses on what matters: helping lawyers and their teams work more efficiently without compromising quality.

Ball’s writing reflects deep, hard-won experience and a clear mission — equipping legal professionals with practical AI skills for daily use. Reading the guide felt like having a seasoned colleague walk me through each challenge. Ball doesn’t just teach. He mentors. His writing models exactly what eMentorship in legal tech should look like: clear, generous, and tested through real-world practice.

This guide will help many take their next step: making AI a normal and necessary part of their workflow. Ball doesn’t just explain what tools can do. He shows you how to apply them in real cases. The tone strikes a careful balance. I found it to be reassuring without overselling, realistic without being discouraging.

One of Ball’s most effective comparisons comes early in the guide:

LLMs are like an eager law clerk who drafts quickly but occasionally makes things up. They need direction, structure, and supervision.

Paraphrased from Craig Ball, The Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice (2026).

That image perfectly captures the mindset legal professionals need. AI is a capable assistant, but one that requires oversight.

Built for People Like Us

Readers familiar with Ball in Your Court will instantly recognize the voice. This guide is in the same tradition: practical, tested, and focused on results.

The audience is clearly defined. You don’t need to understand the mathematics behind machine learning or master technical vocabulary. You just need to be ready to stop wasting time on low-value, repetitive tasks and improve the quality of your work product. That’s where this guide meets you.

Mentorship in Action

I’ve read plenty of explanations about what large language models are. This guide goes further by showing how to use them.

When Ball explains how to draft interrogatories with AI, he spells out exactly which documents to upload, how to frame prompts, and how to reduce the risk of hallucinated results. These details are immediately actionable.

He avoids overexplaining prompt design or burying readers in theory. Instead, he urges direct experimentation. As he puts it:

You will learn nothing from reading about prompts unless you try them. You have to load your own documents, ask your own questions, and study the responses to gain the confidence and insight necessary to employ these tools effectively.

Paraphrased from Craig Ball, The Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice (2026).

That advice resonated. I stopped reading and started experimenting.

I recommend using AI when preparing for a meet-and-confer. It will save time by speeding up the redundant administrative work. It will allow you to focus more on strategy, providing clear and complete explanations during meet-and-confer sessions.

While the guide is excellent on prompt strategy, those looking for deeper comparisons between tools (such as Harvey versus CoCounsel) may want to supplement it with tool-specific documentation or sandbox testing. Similarly, a more robust discussion of firm-level AI restrictions and ethical implementation strategies may be needed before readers adopt AI in more regulated environments.

Still, by focusing on execution over explanation, the guide empowers legal professionals to take immediate, informed action.

Start Small, Scale Wisely

One of the guide’s core lessons is that you don’t need to overhaul your entire workflow. Ball encourages starting with a single task. For me, that was summarizing depositions. Using one of his example prompts, I produced a clean and usable draft that needed refinement, not rewriting.

That initial success made expansion feel natural. I began using AI tools for formatting, building chronologies, and even pressure-testing expert reports. Each new use case built confidence. It all started with a small, deliberate experiment.

Ball gives clear, memorable advice:

Start small. Pick a repetitive task you already do and try using an LLM to assist with it. The goal is not to automate your job. It is to spend more of your time doing the part of your job that requires your judgment, your analysis, and your voice.

Paraphrased from Craig Ball, The Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice (2026).

The message is simple but powerful. Transform AI curiosity into dependable, repeatable workflows that actually serve litigation practice. That line captured the shift I experienced — not just in efficiency, but in mindset.

What I Gained

Efficiency mattered, but the true value lay in the confidence I gained navigating legal tech with clarity. I felt assured that my use of AI aligned with both professional judgment and ethical standards. My work became more consistent, and I spent less time on mechanical tasks.

I didn’t need to become an AI expert. I just needed to define the task clearly, provide the right inputs, and evaluate the output thoughtfully. The guide reinforced that these are already core legal skills.

One limitation is worth noting: not every firm currently allows the use of tools like ChatGPT or Harvey. Even where permitted, the risks must be considered, and users remain responsible for verifying accuracy and exercising independent judgment.

But that’s part of the guide’s value. It doesn’t treat AI like magic. It treats it like a tool — useful, imperfect, and ultimately under your control.

A Guide Worth Returning To

This is not a one-time read. It’s a resource I continue to revisit when refining prompts, adjusting workflows, or exploring new use cases. Ball’s guidance never overwhelms or overpromises. Instead, it invites experimentation and improvement, one task at a time.

What sets this guide apart is how cleanly it translates litigation realities into actionable steps. There’s no jargon, no filler, just clear, practical help you can use immediately, tailored to various tools and firm policies.

Plenty of resources explain AI. This one helps you use it. In a sea of hype and abstraction, Ball’s guide doesn’t just point the way forward — it walks beside you.

Final Thought

If you’ve been hesitant about using AI, The Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice is an excellent place to start. It’s the kind of guide you’ll return to, both for its practical instruction and the confidence it helps you build.

Assisted by GAI and LLM Technologies per EDRM’s GAI and LLM Policy.