The journey from AI proof-of-concept to production deployment in legal practice is fraught with hidden complexity that only becomes apparent when systems face the full demands of client work, regulatory scrutiny, and professional liability exposure. While AI vendors often focus on accuracy metrics and feature demonstrations, law firms and corporate legal departments must evaluate these systems against a far more comprehensive set of requirements. A system that performs brilliantly in controlled testing can fail catastrophically in production if it cannot handle edge cases, preserve client confidentiality, integrate with existing workflows, or withstand regulatory audit. This comprehensive checklist distills the essential requirements for Production-Ready Legal AI, drawn from implementations across contract management, litigation support, compliance operations, and client service functions at major corporate law practices. The requirements for Production-Ready Legal AI extend far beyon...