Automation Replaces About 23 Percent of Lawyer’s Work

Impressive, Most Impressive

With law firms already employing smart software and devices, the future is now. But artificial intelligence still can’t go to court, except perhaps in a lawyer’s briefcase.

“Impressive advances in artificial intelligence technology tailored for legal work have led some lawyers to worry that their profession may be Silicon Valley’s next victim,” Complex Discovery reported. “But recent research and even the people working on the software meant to automate legal work say the adoption of AI in law firms will be a slow, task-by-task process.”

AI is taking over some legal tasks because automation lends itself to repetitive work, like data collecting and processing. If that sounds like a law clerk or an associate’s job, think of it more like evolution than revolution.

“Even when machines do take over some human activities in an occupation, this does not necessarily spell the end of the jobs in that line of work,” according to the McKinsey study. “On the contrary, their number at times increases in occupations that have been partly automated, because overall demand for their remaining activities has continued to grow.”