🎙️Ep. 126: AI and Access to Justice With Pearl.com Associate General Counsel Nick Tiger

Our next guest is Nick Tiger, Associate General Counsel at Pearl.com, Nick shares insights on integrating AI into legal practice. Pearl.com champions AI and human expertise for professional services. He outlines practical uses such as market research, content creation, intake automation, and improved billing efficiency, while stressing the need to avoid liability through robust human oversight.

Nick is a legal leader at Pearl.com, partnering on product design, technology, and consumer-protection compliance strategy. He previously served as Head of Product Legal at EarnIn, an earned-wage access pioneer, building practical guidance for responsible feature launches, and as Senior Counsel at Capital One, supporting consumer products and regulatory matters. Nick holds a J.D. from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is especially interested in using technology to expand rural community access to justice.

During the conversation, Nick highlights emerging tools, such as conversation wizards and expert-matching systems, that enhance communication and case preparation. He also explains Pearl AI's unique model, which blends chatbot capabilities with human expert verification to ensure accuracy in high-stakes or subjective matters.

Nick encourages lawyers to adopt human-in-the-loop protocols and consider joining Pearl's expert network to support accessible, reliable legal services.

Join Nick and me as we discuss the following three questions and more!

1. What are the top three most impactful ways lawyers can immediately implement AI technology in their practices while avoiding the liability pitfalls that have led to sanctions in recent high-profile cases?

2. Beyond legal research and document review, what are the top three underutilized or emerging AI applications that could transform how lawyers deliver value to clients, and how should firms evaluate which technologies to adopt?

3. What are the top three criteria Pearl uses to determine when human expert verification is essential versus when AI alone is sufficient? How can lawyers apply this framework to develop their own human-in-the-loop protocols for AI-assisted legal work, and how is Perl different from its competitors?

In our conversation, we cover the following:

[00:56] Nick's Tech Setup

[07:28] Implementing AI in Legal Practices

[17:07] Emerging AI Applications in Legal Services

[26:06] Pearl AI's Unique Approach to AI and Legal Services

[31:42] Developing Human-in-the-Loop Protocols

[34:34] Pearl AI's Advantages Over Competitors

[36:33] Becoming an Expert on Pearl AI

Resources:

Connect with Nick:

Nick's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicktigerjd

Pearl.com Website: pearl.com

Pearl.com Expert Application Portal: era.justanswer.com/

Pearl.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/pearl-com

Pearl.com X: x.com/Pearldotcom

ABA Resources:

ABA Formal Opinion 512: https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf

Hardware mentioned in the conversation:

Anker Backup Battery / Power Bank: anker.com/collections/power-banks

Software & Cloud Services mentioned in the conversation:

• AT&T: att.com/

• Pearl.com: pearl.com/

• Sprint: thesprintgroup.com/

• Timely: timely.com/

• Verizon: verizon.com/

How to Ask AI "Are You Sure?" for Better Legal Research Accuracy!

Lawyers need to be “sure” their AI use is accurate

Legal professionals increasingly rely on AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini for research and document preparation. However, these powerful tools can produce inaccurate information or "hallucinations" — fabricated facts, citations, or legal precedents that appear credible but don't exist. A simple yet effective technique is asking AI systems "Are you sure?" or requesting verification of their responses.

The "Are You Sure?" Technique:

When you ask ChatGPT, Claude, or similar AI tools "Are you sure about this information?" they often engage in a second review process. This prompt triggers the AI to:

• Re-examine the original question more carefully

• Cross-reference information internally

• Flag potential uncertainties in their responses

• Provide additional context about confidence levels

For example, after receiving an AI response about case law, follow up with: "Are you sure this case citation is accurate? Please double-check the details." This often reveals when the AI is uncertain or has potentially fabricated information.

Other AI Verification Features

Google Gemini offers a built-in "double-check" feature that uses Google Search to verify responses against web sources. However, this feature can make mistakes and may show contradictory information.

Claude AI focuses on thorough reasoning and can be prompted to verify complex legal analysis through step-by-step breakdowns.

ChatGPT can be instructed to provide sources and verify information when specifically requested, though it requires explicit prompting for verification.

Essential Legal Practice Reminders 

While AI verification techniques help identify potential inaccuracies, they never replace the fundamental duty of legal professionals to verify all citations, case law, and factual claims. Recent court cases have imposed sanctions on attorneys who submitted AI-generated content without proper verification. If you don’t, you run the risk of running afoul of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct — including Rule 1.1 (Competence), which requires the legal knowledge, skill, and thoroughness reasonably necessary for representation; Rule 1.1, Comment 8, which stresses that competent representation includes keeping abreast of the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology; Rule 1.3 (Diligence), which obligates attorneys to act with commitment and promptness; and Rule 3.3 (Candor Toward the Tribunal), which prohibits attorneys from knowingly making false statements or failing to correct false material before the court.

Best practices for legal AI use include:

• Always verify AI-generated citations against primary sources

• Never submit AI content without human review

• Maintain clear policies about AI use in your practice

• Understand that professional responsibility remains with the attorney, not the AI tool

The "Are you sure?" technique serves as a helpful first-line check when you notice something seems off in AI responses, but thorough legal research and verification remain your professional responsibility. Your reputation and bar license could depend on it.