Short answer: most "where's my case?" calls have an answer already sitting in the file. AI can read the file and draft a short, plain status update. A lawyer or paralegal reads it, fixes it, and sends it. The draft never predicts an outcome, never puts a number on a settlement, and never tells the client what to do.
We have written about AI intake and about briefing a lawyer before a client meeting. This is the call that comes after intake and between meetings. It is also, in many firms, the call clients complain about most.
Why these calls matter
The ABA Model Rules ask lawyers to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of the matter and to promptly answer reasonable requests for information. Your state's version of Rule 1.4 is the one that applies to you; the wording varies, so check it.
In practice, the client does not want a legal memo. They want to know three things: did something happen, what happens next, and when will they hear from you again. The paralegal knows. The paralegal is also drafting a motion.
What AI may do
- Read the matter's recent activity: filings, correspondence, calendar entries, notes.
- Draft a short update in plain words: what happened since the last update, what the next step is, and who is waiting on whom.
- Point to the exact document or entry behind each sentence, so the reviewer can check it in seconds.
- Say "nothing new since your last update on [date]" when that is true. That is a real answer, and clients accept it more than silence.
- Flag matters where no update has gone out in a long time, so the firm can call before the client does.
What it must never do
- Predict an outcome. "This looks good for you" or "these usually settle" is a legal judgment. Only the lawyer makes it, and usually not in a status note.
- Give advice. "You should not talk to the adjuster" may be right. It comes from the lawyer, not a draft.
- Promise a date the firm does not control. Courts, opposing counsel, and insurers set many dates. The draft can say "the hearing is set for" when it is on the docket. It cannot say "we expect a decision next month."
- Fill a gap with a guess. If the file is silent, the draft says so, and a person finds out.
- Go out unread. A named lawyer or paralegal approves every update. Your firm decides which of the two, by matter type.
Confidentiality comes with the file
A status update draws on the whole file, which is privileged and confidential. Know where the AI reads it and what is kept. We cover the confidentiality questions separately. For some firms, the answer is to run the work on hardware the firm controls. Whether to tell clients you use AI for drafts is its own question; see do lawyers have to disclose AI to clients.
A simple review rule
Give the reviewer one checklist:
- Is every fact in the update in the file?
- Is there any sentence about how the case will turn out? Delete it.
- Is there any sentence telling the client what to do? Move it to a call with the lawyer.
- Does the update say when the client will hear from us next?
If the draft passes all four, it can go.
A realistic first step
For one week, have the front desk write down every status call: the matter, the question, and how long it took to answer. Then pick ten of those matters and ask whether the answer was already in the file. If most of them were, a drafted update would have saved that time. If the answers lived only in a lawyer's head, the first fix is better file notes, not software.
If you want status drafts built from your own matters, with your people approving each one — talk with us. If a weekly update habit is enough, we will say so.
Related: AI intake for law firms · AI and confidentiality for law firms · our approach for law firms.