How a lawyer found a needle in a haystack using AI
First name + Hawaii = impossible search. But ChatGPT solved it in 2 seconds the problem in a few seconds.
A lawyer in my online group needed to find a tele-health psychiatrist for his client.
All he remembered? First name. Hawaii.
He asked ChatGPT. Two seconds later: full name, contact info, everything he needed.
That’s when it struck him.
Stop thinking small about AI
Most lawyers use AI like a fancy Google search, asking basic questions and getting basic answers.
AI’s real power isn’t in mundane tasks—it’s in the impossible ones.
Tasks that would take hours of detective work. The needles in haystacks. The “I’ll never find this” moments.
That’s where AI excels.
But AI isn’t the whole story
I recently spoke with a Seattle family lawyer who’s using something as powerful as AI: delegation to overseas VAs.
She runs a thriving practice with multiple VAs in the Philippines. Her best power move? Three VAs working in shifts.
Someone is always helping her.
While other lawyers are overwhelmed with admin work at 9 PM, she’s having dinner with her family.
The magic combination
Here’s what most lawyers miss: AI and VAs aren’t competing solutions.
They’re complementary.
AI handles instant, complex research
VAs handle the ongoing routine work
You focus on strategy and high-value legal work
It’s not about replacing yourself. It’s about multiplying yourself.
See how it works
This Thursday, I’m hosting an Inner Circle session on finding and managing VAs—and how they work with AI.
You’ll hear directly from lawyers who’ve built these systems. No theory. Just what works.
Want to join the conversation?
👉 Check out Inner Circle membership
Boston meetup?
I’ll be at the Clio Conference in Boston next week. If you’re attending, hit reply and let me know—I’d love to meet up.
The future of law practice isn’t about working harder.
It’s about thinking differently.
;-)
Ernie
P.S. The psychiatrist search? It would have taken hours of calls and Googling. ChatGPT did it in two seconds. Stop limiting AI to simple tasks—start thinking and working smarter.