Déjà vu all over again! Exactly one year to the day that Craig Ball published a primer for AI, his 2026 Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice is out!

In the blog post that discusses the guide (available here), Craig notes he’s been burning the midnight oil to overhaul and expand the work from last year. The new guide is now entitled Leery Lawyer’s Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice.

As Craig discusses: “It’s no mere face lift, but a from-the-ground-up rewrite reflecting how AI and large language models power trial lawyer tasks today. Since the first edition, AI has moved from curiosity to necessity. Tools like ChatGPT and Harvey are no longer novelties, and the economics of AI-assisted drafting, discovery management, and record comprehension are undeniable. At the same time, the risks of use are better understood. Hallucinations, overreach, privilege exposure, and misplaced confidence are genuine, and the guide meets them head-on, offering practical guardrails and practice tips.”

Continuing, Craig notes: “What’s new for 2026 is not more breathless talk of “transformation,” but a clearer picture of what works, what doesn’t, and what still demands adult supervision. The guide now speaks to lawyers who remain leery but are ready to use AI cautiously and competently. It expands beyond first forays to practical, defensible workflows: depositions, motion practice, ESI protocols, voir dire, and making sense of large records without losing the thread. It distinguishes consumer and enterprise tools, explains why governance matters, and emphasizes verification as a professional duty.”

The 29-page 2026 Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice does exactly that. After a brief introduction, it discusses marketplace models and versions like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Meta AI, Microsoft and Harvey AI. Craig discuss how to get started, what to know about hallucinations (noting that “Working with LLMs is like teaching a teenager to drive” 🤣) and provides an updated look at the ChatGPT interface and a new look at the Harvey interface.

The rest of the guide is all practical, as in practical applications of the models for litigation and trial practice, followed by ten examples with prompts, ten tips for improved prompts, guidance for understanding limitations and ethical guardrails, and final thoughts for trial lawyers. Craig finishes the guide with an Appendix on an AI prompt to critique and improve keyword searches (an adaptation of one of his past blog posts).

While the guide is 29 pages (including the title page), it’s a very easy read with numerous examples designed to provide guidance for use of AI and LLMs in trial practice! Hence, the name! 😉 Check out the 2026 Guide to AI and LLMs in Trial Practice here!

So, what do you think? Do you need a guide for practical uses of AI for litigation and trial? Then check out Craig’s new guide! And please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Image created using Microsoft Designer, using the term “robot lawyer looking through a guide and being enlightened”.

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