If I think about what’s really changed this year, it’s the way AI has moved from being a curiosity to something that’s reshaping how we work. For years, the legal industry has been built on process – layers of checks, drafting cycles and manual reviews. That’s shifting. AI is taking out the grunt work, and that’s a good thing. It means clients can get things done faster, and we can spend more time on the parts of the job that actually add value.
Take contract review as an example. What used to take days now takes hours. That shift changes the value equation completely. If 90 per cent of the time was previously spent on low-value, process-heavy work and only 10 per cent on the strategic thinking clients really care about, AI flips that. Suddenly, we can move past the grind and spend more time on the parts that matter – judgement, insight, and solving complex problems.
It’s not just about speed; it’s about freeing capacity to have the conversations that matter most. When you’re not buried in repetitive tasks, you can better focus on risk, strategy and helping clients feel confident and in control. That’s where the real differentiation lies.
It’s not just about speed; it’s about freeing capacity to have the conversations that matter most
The impact on our junior lawyers is significant and, in my view, really positive. Prior to AI, we simply didn’t have as much time to deeply involve them in the sophisticated problem-solving that makes this job interesting. AI creates those opportunities. When the routine work is powered by AI, juniors get to sit closer to the action – seeing how complex issues are navigated, contributing to solutions earlier, and building judgement faster. That’s a win for them and for clients.
AI is no replacement for human judgement. In fact, it makes judgement more important. For me, that’s exciting. It’s a chance to do more of the work that really matters, reduce friction in relationships and offer more insight, value and confidence to our clients.
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