ZentLaw has announced the launch of its new innovation arm ZentLaw Labs, including the release of artificial intelligence-powered “bots” to help field startup and enterprise clients' commonly asked questions and provide legal resourcing consultation.

Monica Zent, founder of ZentLaw, said the bots won't perform any legal work but instead are purely automated response tools that will offer concise and to-the-point answers.

The firm offers two types of bots. While the enterprise bot is geared toward “helping enterprise corporate clients and legal departments to effectively resource their legal needs,” the startup bot offers answers to questions ZentLaw has encountered frequently with startup clients, Zent said.

The enterprise bot is free, but the startup bot will be a paid product. Zent said pricing hasn't been finalized for the startup bot but would be “economical,” based on a monthly subscription and cheaper than ZentLaw's currently offered solutions.

In addition to the bots, ZentLaw offers various solutions that include secondments—on-site support from a ZentLaw attorney for a short-term need of a firm or legal department, and a subscription model for clients who need ongoing legal support. Another solution, virtual counsel, offers a reduced rate structure for organizations uncertain of their specific support needs. Zent said the pricing for those solutions vary by client size and need.

ZentLaw, which was founded 17 years ago, differentiates itself as an alternative law firm by enhancing legal operations with consultations and providing technology offerings.

To be sure, ZentLaw is far from the only firm with an innovation lab, or the only developer of legal tech bots. Global law firm Dentons, for instance, launched its incubator Nextlaw Labs, and its parallel investment vehicle, Nextlaw Ventures, in 2015 What's more, in 2017 Allen & Overy announced the creation of Fuse, a space to serve as a collaborative environment for the firm's lawyers, clients and technology companies to brainstorm and develop technologies for transacting deals. complying to regulations and delivering legal services and advice.

Legaltech News has also spotlighted numerous chatbots that provide automated services, including a chatbox that aids Kentucky residents in contesting an eviction notice, and Docassemble, a tool used to create guided interviews to help walk people through complicated legal processes.