Chat GPT Overview

Chat GPT Overview & Use Cases For Attorneys

The Evolution of Conversational AI: An In-Depth Look at ChatGPT and GPT-5

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a leading generative artificial intelligence chatbot that uses its underlying GPT models to produce human-like text, images, and other content. Originally released in late 2022, it has quickly become a household name, transforming how people interact with technology. The latest major iteration, GPT-5, marks a significant leap forward, offering enhanced reasoning, multi-modal capabilities, and a more streamlined user experience.


Navigating ChatGPT’s Models and Plans

OpenAI offers different versions of ChatGPT with varying capabilities and pricing tiers, each powered by a specific GPT model. The models are not static; they are continuously being improved and updated.

ChatGPT Models: More Than Just GPT-5

  • GPT-5: The current flagship model, GPT-5, is a unified, “auto-switching” system. This means it can automatically choose the best mode for your request. It’s designed to be smart and fast for everyday tasks, but can switch to a more deliberate “Thinking” mode for complex problems like coding or data analysis. This new model is available to all users, with certain usage caps for free accounts.
  • Deep Research: This is an agentic feature that uses a version of the GPT-5 model specifically optimized for in-depth web browsing and analysis. It can autonomously search hundreds of websites, synthesize information, and create comprehensive, multi-page reports. This is a powerful tool for anyone needing to conduct serious research.
  • GPT-4o (Legacy): Previously the top-tier model, GPT-4o (“o” for omni) was known for its ability to handle text, audio, and images seamlessly. It was a significant upgrade from its predecessor, GPT-4, with faster response times and improved multi-modal functionality. While GPT-5 is now the default, Plus users can still access GPT-4o in the legacy models section.
  • GPT-3.5: This is the base model available to all free ChatGPT users. While it’s an older model, it’s still highly capable for general-purpose tasks like writing emails, brainstorming ideas, and answering common questions.

Understanding Token Limits and Word Counts

The concept of a “token” is central to how large language models like GPT work. A token isn’t just a word; it can be a word, a sub-word, a piece of punctuation, or even a space. On average, 1,000 tokens correspond to approximately 750 words. The token limit, also known as the “context window,” is the maximum number of tokens a model can consider at once, including both the user’s prompt and the AI’s response.

  • Free Plan (GPT-3.5 & GPT-5 with caps): Free users on the GPT-3.5 model have a context window of up to 8,000 tokens. This is generally enough for most conversational and short-form tasks. For the new GPT-5 model, free users can send up to 10 messages every five hours before being switched to a “mini” version of the model.
  • Paid Plans (Plus, Team, Pro, Enterprise): Paid users get significantly higher limits.
    • GPT-5: Plus users can send up to 160 messages every three hours with the standard GPT-5 model. The more advanced “Thinking” mode has a weekly limit of 3,000 messages for Plus and Team users. The Pro and Enterprise plans offer unlimited access to GPT-5 models, subject to abuse guardrails.
    • Context Window: The context windows for paid plans are much larger. The standard GPT-5 model has a context window of 32,000 tokens for Plus and Team users, while the Pro and Enterprise tiers have a massive 128,000 tokens. The “Thinking” mode for all paid tiers boasts an impressive 196,000 token context window.

Accessing the API: Pricing, Power, and Control

Access to OpenAI’s most powerful models, including GPT-5, is available through the OpenAI API. Unlike the consumer-facing ChatGPT platform, the API is a pay-as-you-go service where you’re charged based on your usage, measured in tokens. This model allows developers and businesses to integrate OpenAI’s AI capabilities directly into their own applications and services.

GPT-5 API Pricing and Model Tiers 

The GPT-5 API is tiered to accommodate different needs, balancing performance, cost, and latency. The pricing is calculated per million tokens. For context, 1,000 tokens is roughly equivalent to 750 words.

  • GPT-5 (Standard): The flagship model with full reasoning and multimodal capabilities. It is priced at $1.25 per 1 million input tokens and $10.00 per 1 million output tokens.
  • GPT-5-mini: A faster and more cost-efficient version, great for high-volume applications where you don’t need maximum intelligence. It costs $0.25 per 1 million input tokens and $2.00 per 1 million output tokens.
  • GPT-5-nano: The fastest and cheapest tier, best for simple tasks like summarization and classification. It’s priced at $0.05 per 1 million input tokens and $0.40 per 1 million output tokens.

OpenAI also offers a 90% discount on cached input tokens, which significantly reduces costs for repeated requests or similar prompts.

Token Limits and Access to the Most Powerful Functions 

The API offers much larger context windows and more granular control than the consumer-facing ChatGPT platform.

  • Massive Context Window: The standard GPT-5 model has an input context window of 272,000 tokens and a maximum output token limit of 128,000 tokens. Some versions of the API offer an even larger 400,000-token context length. This allows the model to process extensive codebases, entire books, or long conversation histories in a single request.
  • Reasoning Effort Parameter: Developers can control how deeply the model “thinks” before generating a response. This new parameter lets you choose from levels like minimal, low, medium, or high. Choosing a higher reasoning effort will increase the token count and latency, but provides more accurate and well-structured answers for complex problems.
  • Advanced Tool Use: The GPT-5 API is designed for “agentic” tasks, where the model can autonomously use a variety of tools in parallel or in sequence. This includes built-in functions like web searchdata analysis, and image generation, as well as the ability to call custom tools defined by the developer. This allows for complex, multi-step workflows to be automated.

T

his control and flexibility are why developers and businesses opt for the API over the standard ChatGPT subscription. It’s a fundamental difference: one is a finished product for a broad audience, while the other is a powerful platform for building custom, highly-specialized AI solutions.


Web Integration and Google Properties

A key feature for paid users is ChatGPT’s ability to browse the web in real-time. This is crucial for obtaining up-to-date information, which a model’s training data alone cannot provide. ChatGPT’s web browsing capability allows it to:

  • Search for real-time information: When you ask a question that requires current data, like “What’s the weather like in New York today?” or “Who won the World Series this year?”, ChatGPT will automatically access the internet to find the answer.
  • Synthesize from multiple sources: The model can read and analyze information from various websites to provide a comprehensive and accurate response, reducing the risk of a single-source error.

While OpenAI and Google are competitors in the AI space, there are some third-party integrations available. For example, browser extensions exist that can display ChatGPT’s responses alongside standard Google search results. Additionally, developers can use APIs to integrate ChatGPT’s capabilities into Google’s ecosystem, such as Google Sheets, to automate tasks and analyze data. However, there is no official, native integration between ChatGPT and core Google products like Gmail or Google Docs at this time.


Use Cases for Attorneys and the Legal Profession

The legal field is one of the most promising areas for AI application, and attorneys are finding innovative ways to use ChatGPT to streamline their work. However, it’s crucial to note that AI should be a tool to assist, not replace, human legal expertise. Ethical considerations around data security and accuracy are paramount.

Here are some demonstrated use cases for attorneys:

  • Accelerated Legal Research: ChatGPT can quickly parse through vast legal databases, statutes, and case law to find relevant information. It can summarize key legal precedents and generate a starting point for more in-depth, human-led research.
  • Document Review and Analysis: The AI can review contracts and other legal documents to identify key clauses, legal risks, or specific terms. This dramatically reduces the time spent on a manual review of lengthy documents.
  • Drafting Standard Legal Documents: While not a substitute for a custom-drafted legal document, ChatGPT can generate drafts of standard contracts, clauses, or client communication templates. This helps attorneys and paralegals quickly create a foundation that they can then refine and customize.
  • Summarizing and Communicating: Attorneys can use the tool to summarize complex legal documents into easily understandable language for clients or other non-legal stakeholders. It can also help draft client emails, ensuring clear and concise communication.
  • Knowledge Management: A firm can use a customized version of the AI to create a searchable knowledge base of its own internal documents, legal memos, and precedents. This allows for faster access to institutional knowledge.