AI redefining what it means to be a 'great' lawyer - Legal Futures

Automation in the legal profession will most probably be "a decades-long process" but artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining what it means to be a'great' lawyer. It also means that the market for legal services "will be IT-driven", according to a white paper from Swiss AI consultancy Logol. It used a sports analogy to compare the lawyer of the past to a marathon runner, who after years of training, competes in races relying solely on his muscular strength and endurance. The lawyer of the future, by contrast, "is a race car driver, who, thanks to his car, can move much faster than the marathon runner". It explained: "While physical fitness and endurance are still important characteristics of great race car drivers, pilots also need to understand and master the controls of their car in order to win the race. "The lawyer of tomorrow will no longer have to be the'fastest runner', but the'best driver'; and this will probably hold true for many decades to come." Logol said that recent developments in commercial as well as experimental applications indicated that AI would lead to "unprecedented levels of automation in the legal sector", redefining "the business scenario" and the cost of services, and providing great benefits to the consumer. "However, traditional'human' lawyers are not in danger of disappearing any time soon.