Beatrix Ruetten

AI consultant, lecturer on Legal AI and lawyer

When the era of genuine dialogue between humans and machines began in late 2022 with the first large language models, it sparked a flurry of ideas in Beatrix Ruetten's mind. She had already tested and used automation tools such as Lawlift in her law firm before that. But the ability of large language models to break down legal matters through dialogue marked a genuine turning point. Some of this potential is now part of everyday working life, while many visions are still maturing. For Beatrix Ruetten, it was immediately clear at the time that this technology would not just touch the legal market at the edges, but transform it at its core.

Today, she advises and trains law firms and legal departments on the practical application and implementation of generative AI. In doing so, she first clears up the typical myths. Anyone who believes you simply upload a file with a click and get a finished statement of claim at the push of a button is falling for a dangerous misconception. Nor is AI simply the next automation tool for office organisation.

Beatrix Ruetten teaches a working method whose core lies in well-thought-out process design. Instead of isolated experiments, legal workflows are methodically rethought, broken down and set up as reproducible law firm standards. This includes structured prompts, the targeted identification of sources of error, and an understanding of how language models interact with legal publishers' databases. For advanced teams, the focus is on building their own knowledge databases and secure law firm assistants. All of this is embedded in clear review routines, so that the use of AI remains in line with confidentiality obligations and professional law.

She experiences what this brings to a case every day at her own desk. When a client calls unexpectedly after months, the system summarises the state of the file for her in five precise points within seconds. In contentious proceedings, she saves hours because the software reveals contradictory submissions from the other side and works out what has actually been substantively disputed. She also uses it to prepare for mediations, reliably weighing up the hidden interests of both sides against one another.

The foundation of this expertise is not grey tech theory but solid law firm practice. Beatrix Ruetten has been a lawyer for over 20 years, is a certified specialist in inheritance law, and has run her law firm in Hamburg on a fully digital basis since 2018. As a lecturer, she regularly provides training for specialist publishers, further education institutes and professional organisations throughout Germany.

Her credo for every training session is thoroughly down-to-earth. AI does not take legal thinking off anyone's hands, but it does take the tedious routine out of everyday work, is great fun when used properly, and rewards anyone who simply starts learning with curiosity.