# Sort a new client's records with AI, as a bank does

By Ali Peivandizadeh, business growth and AI implementation specialist.
Published Nov 13, 2026. Last checked Nov 13, 2026. Last changed Nov 13, 2026.
Section: AI at Work. Verdict: ACT
Who it is for: Personal injury, family, bankruptcy, immigration. Firms with 2 to 50 lawyers. Owner, paralegal, office manager.

A bank used an AI agent to put new clients' records into one standard format. Staff review what the agent is unsure about. A law firm can use the same pattern for medical records or bank statements. Start with one closed file.

## Why
Northern Trust, a bank, unveiled the agent on Nov 9, 2026. It converts years of client records from many formats into the bank's standard format. Data preparation took two and a half weeks before. The bank reports it now takes three days. That number covers preparation only. The bank tested the agent on data with client names removed. Staff review the output and handle the uncertain items. A law firm has the same kind of step: sorting a new client's records before the legal work starts.

## Steps
1. Pick one step where staff sort records by hand. Examples are medical records in an injury case and bank statements in a divorce.
2. Time that step on your next three new matters.
3. Take one closed file. Remove names and ID numbers.
4. Ask an AI tool the firm has approved to sort that file into your standard list or timeline.
5. Have the paralegal who did the original work compare the two results and mark every error.
6. Count the errors. Then use the tool on the next new matter, with the same paralegal review.

## What data may go in
Test with a closed file that has names and ID numbers removed. Medical and financial records are client confidential. Live records go only into a tool with terms the firm has read.

## Who checks the output
The paralegal checks every entry against the source record. A lawyer signs off before the summary is used in a demand, a filing or a letter.

## Cost and time
The report gives no cost. The bank built a custom system with Microsoft. A law firm starts smaller, with an AI tool it already pays for. About half a day for the first file.

## The rule to check
ABA Model Rule 5.3 makes a lawyer responsible for work done by non-lawyer help. ABA Formal Opinion 512 applies that duty to AI tools. Your state has its own version of the rule.

## What can go wrong
The bank reports a first-pass quality score above 96%, so staff still find and fix the rest. One missed record in a medical timeline can change the value of a case. The paralegal checks every entry against the source.

## Sources
- CIO, news report, Nov 9, 2026: https://www.cio.com/article/4245961/northern-trust-streamlines-client-onboarding-with-ai-agent.html

General information, not legal advice.

Page: https://lawfirmgrowthjournal.com/ai-at-work/bank-ai-agent-client-records-test-for-firms/