WBN " The Work Recode Series " explores the changing relationship between people, jobs, machines, and AI.

By Elke Porter | WBN News Global | June 7, 2025
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The mahogany-paneled conference rooms and towering law libraries that once defined legal practice are giving way to something far more unsettling: algorithms that can draft contracts, review documents, and analyze case law faster than any human ever could. The legal industry—arguably the most tradition-bound profession in America—is being forced into a digital revolution that's happening at breakneck speed, whether lawyers like it or not.

This isn't just about efficiency gains or cost savings. We're witnessing the fundamental rewiring of how justice gets delivered, cases get built, and legal careers get made. From the 353,000 paralegals whose jobs hang in the balance to the partners at Am Law 100 firms scrambling to understand what "prompt engineering" means, everyone in the legal ecosystem is being forced to confront an uncomfortable question: What happens when machines can do your job better, faster, and cheaper?

The transformation is already underway, and the early results are both promising and terrifying. Some legal professionals are becoming superhuman in their capabilities, while others are discovering their skills may be obsolete. The industry that built its reputation on precedent is now writing entirely new rules for survival in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Recent research by LexisNexis shows that 82% of lawyers are either using or planning to integrate AI into their practices, up from just 39% the previous year. This isn't gradual adoption—it's a sprint toward automation that's leaving some legal professionals scrambling to keep up.

A recent Goldman Sachs report finds that generative AI could replace up to 44% of the legal profession. Meanwhile, the legal services sector lost 4,200 jobs in August 2023.

Replaced This Week: Entry-Level Legal Work

The casualties are already mounting at the bottom of the legal pyramid. There is potential for AI to replace some entry-level paralegals who work on basic tasks such as gathering and analyzing legal information from various sources.

Document review—once the bread and butter for junior associates and paralegals—is being automated away. Contract analysis, legal research, and case summarization are increasingly handled by AI tools that work 24/7 without coffee breaks or student loan anxiety.

Nowhere in law might the anxiety over AI be more acute than among the 353,000 US paralegals and legal assistants. These professionals are watching their most routine tasks disappear into algorithms.

Roles Rewired: The Rise of AI-Enhanced Lawyers

But here's where it gets interesting. 72% of surveyed legal professionals said they "strongly disagree" that generative AI will replace lawyers. Instead of wholesale replacement, we're seeing the emergence of what one industry leader calls "10x lawyers—legal professionals who can accomplish 10 times more work in the same amount of time."

Senior attorneys are becoming AI-powered legal strategists, using predictive analytics to forecast case outcomes and streamline client consultation. The industry is moving from non-specialized AI to AI trained on legal materials, designed to tackle specific, complex legal problems.

The disruption is creating entirely new career paths. Law firms are hiring:

  • AI Legal Consultants who implement and manage legal AI systems
  • Legal Data Scientists who analyze case outcomes and client patterns
  • Compliance Technology Managers who ensure AI tools meet ethical standards
  • Client Experience Designers who create AI-enhanced client portals

The Suits Question: Entertainment Meets Reality

What does this mean for legal dramas like Suits? The show's romanticized vision of lawyers as smooth-talking negotiators who win cases through wit and charm increasingly feels like fantasy. Real modern legal practice involves attorneys collaborating with AI to review thousands of documents in minutes, not dramatic courtroom speeches.

Future legal entertainment might focus less on individual legal heroes and more on human-AI teams solving complex cases—think CSI meets Silicon Valley in a law firm setting.

Industry Focus: Big Law vs. Solo Practitioners

Large firms are investing millions in AI infrastructure, creating a competitive advantage that smaller practices struggle to match. Solo practitioners and small firms face a choice: embrace affordable AI tools or risk being priced out by more efficient competitors.

The billable hour model—law's traditional revenue engine—is under pressure as AI makes many tasks faster and cheaper. Firms are experimenting with flat-fee arrangements and value-based pricing.

Why It Matters

For Entrepreneurs: Legal services are becoming more affordable and accessible, but choosing the right AI-enhanced firm versus traditional practice requires careful evaluation.

For Employees: Legal professionals must up skill immediately. Those who learn to work alongside AI will thrive; those who resist face obsolescence. Critical skills include legal technology literacy, client relationship management, and strategic thinking.

For Employers: Law firms must invest in AI training and restructure teams around human-AI collaboration. The firms that adapt fastest will capture market share from slower competitors.

For Policymakers: Regulatory frameworks for AI in legal practice are urgently needed. Questions about AI bias, client confidentiality, and professional liability require immediate attention before the technology outpaces oversight.

A&O Shearman Law Firm Launched Partnership with Harvey in 2023

The Integration: Allen & Overy became the first major law firm to deploy Harvey, an AI platform based on OpenAI's GPT technology, across its entire global practice of 3,500+ lawyers in 43 offices worldwide One Legal

What Harvey Does: Harvey helps lawyers with contract analysis, due diligence, litigation, and regulatory compliance by allowing them to create legal documents and perform research using simple natural language instructions Will AI replace paralegals? - One Legal

Scale & Impact: Approximately 3,500 employees spanning 43 offices within the company utilized the tool Will AI Replace Paralegals and Legal Assistants? | MyCase

Financial Success: Harvey passed $50M annual recurring revenue (ARR) at the end of 2024, up 400% year-over-year from approximately $10M ARR in 2023, and is now in talks to raise $300M at a $3B valuation Should paralegals fear artificial intelligence?

The Ripple Effect: As Allen & Overy deployed Harvey firmwide, the founders predicted other firms would soon follow Will Paralegals and Legal Assistants be replaced by AI & Robots?

The legal profession isn't dying—it's being reborn. But like any rebirth, the process is messy, uncertain, and not everyone will make it through unchanged.

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##The Recode Series #AI at Work #The Work Recode #Job Trends #Future Of Work #Small Business #Automation Shift #WBN News Global #WBN Ai #Elke Porter

Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp:  +1 604 828 8788

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