Will we witness the end of the legal profession in our days? With the advent of AI (Artificial Intelligence), there comes a serious challenge to this profession that celebrates its precision and logical arguments, almost always based on precedent. Let’s consider a few cases.
It seems certain that future lawyers will
bring an AI assistant into the courtroom. It will listen to all testimony, look
for irregularities, signal objection events, point out exceptions (with
references), and help deliver closing arguments. Do you agree?
The
law office of the future will need no paralegals. AI will develop all the background
knowledge the attorney of record needs. It will supply appropriate quotes with
references. It will cite tangential issues, how they were decided, and
accompanying arguments. The future law office will have no space for a law
library – it being online in every office. Attorneys will dictate and AI will
compose their letters in the correct legal language. The trusty legal secretary’s
days may be diminished.*
Public
defenders may see their roles decline as suspects may be interrogated by AI,
their case summarized, and possibly an attorney assigned. However, the future accused
may elect an AI-only attorney. (After all, AI can now pass the bar exam.)
Corporate
AI lawyers will draft break-proof contracts. Civil AI lawyers will create
break-proof wills. (Maybe they already do.) Accident AI lawyers will simply negotiate
a settlement, the legalities fully developed by AI – for both sides.
Of
course, the Supreme Court will be the biggest user of AI, as it reviews all litigant
briefs and summarizes the case based on law, even for politics – as seem to be
a feature of recent Supreme meanderings. Appeals courts may be completely
replaced by AI – if only to remove bias.
There
seems no business as vulnerable as the legal profession. Clearly, legal costs
will be reduced from $-000’s per hour to pennies. Only the bias and need for
bias of politicians may protect this vaunted profession.
But
is the much-valued judge a victim of AI, as well? Most probably, as they mostly
review technicalities, rule on objections, approve witnesses, and simply keep
courtroom order.
*My
mom was a legal secretary, upon which her boss greatly depended.
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