Book Review: Andrew and the Marvellous Analytical Engine by Andrew Hogan: An intelligent book about artificial intelligence & lawyers

Readers may know my colleague Andrew Hogan as the author of the extremely useful “Costs Barrister” blog.  Subscribers to LinkedIn may well follow his regular activities and photos of Labradors & other canines (which he tells me prove to be much more popular with members of the legal profession than posts about costs). Here Andrew proves his breadth of knowledge by writing a book about Artificial Intelligence – aimed specifically at the legal profession. I am encouraging you to read it.

(The publishers of the book is “The Labrador Press” – it certainly gives paws for thought).

“Used carefully, it can accelerate thinking, overcome blocks, and perform at a level that surprises even seasoned professionals. Used carelessly, it can mislead, fabricate, or oversimplify. Responsibility rests, as ever, with the user.”

WHAT DOES THE BOOK DO?

“Over the past year, as I have experimented with different  AI systems, I have thought
about writing something simple: a primer. Not a grand survey, but a short and
practical account of what I have learned, written for lawyers of a certain age, like
me who will have to live and work with this technology.  A compact guide to what
matters, and how it may be of use.”

A HISTORY AND THEN THE CURRENT APPLICATION

The book the reader through the history of artificial intelligence and then goes on to consider its specific use in legal practice. Chapters include

• Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice.
• Artificial Intelligence ethics.
• Regulatory concerns.
• Legal workflows.

It then takes you, in a wholly practical way, through the use of Artificial Intelligence in practice with CHAT GPT, Copilot and Google being concerned.  There is a very practical guide to using ChatGPT in writing legal articles.

So asking ChatGPT to write a draft of a legal article, for instance

The finished product should feel like a junior colleague who knows your field, your style, and the format of your content, and who can produce a draft within minutes. You still provide the brain and judgment. You choose the topic, check the law, and polish the piece before it goes out.

But the heavy lifting of turning an idea into a coherent first draft is done for you. That is the true value of a custom GPT in this setting. It speeds the work, keeps your output consistent, and frees you to focus on the insight rather than the mechanics of expression.

THE USUAL CLB TESTS FOR A BOOK

Should you buy it?

I think you should.  There was an initial reluctance to engage with computers and email by the legal profession. This is simply part of professional development. It has to be understood.

Is it value for money?

The Kindle edition cost £9.99, the paperback £19.00.  On anyone’s view this is a bargain.

Where do I get the book?

It can be found here.