The lawyers who will do best in the coming decade are those who are deeply skeptical about how lawyers have practiced for the past decade. Aggressively embracing AI is obviously going to be table stakes (already is, IMO), but the change is much broader than that. Clients will seek out (and pay good money for) good old-fashioned wisdom, meaningful trust-based personal connections, and absolutely ruthless efficiency. Gucci-priced emails from a faceless blob of Partners + Associates won't be well-received in coming years. Nor will chunky bills revealing a convoluted chain of internal document production and multi-layered review at blockbuster rates. Old world lawyering isn't going extinct overnight, but these shifts are already happening, and they're moving faster than many in the profession fully appreciate. Adapt or die. It's going to be a fun ride!
Joe Douglass
1d
Adapt or die… but first, bill 0.2 hours for reviewing this comment and forwarding it internally for a strategic adaptation meeting. Old habits die hard!
Here's to hoping things will play out like you predict!
Ethan Logan
5d
Most plaintiffs lawyers already have a much more efficient way of lawyering. They vet cases and staff them appropriately. They have skin in the game. They can go up against big firms when needed. Billing for time vs alignment of outcome with clients won’t be so easy to sell, as you mention. Good lawyers won’t need the big firm apparatus either.
I am so with you on this. I try to tell anyone who will listen that most people aren’t fully appreciating how quickly it is moving and the ultimate impact it will have. We’re building with it, we see it firsthand. It’s pretty wild. Love finding others who are on the same page.
Amy Ward
5d
Love this!
Land Use Attorney handling residential, commercial, medical and industrial developments throughout Connecticut
2dAgreed & it will take some people by surprise.