Okay, I’m calling on all my especially nerdy legaltechers for this one¹. Now, believe me, when asked in years past whether lawyers should learn to code, I was one of those people who would say something like this:

“No, lawyers shouldn’t waste their time learning to code. Lawyers have a deep expertise in the legal domain and that is more than enough.”

I’m not sure that that’s true anymore. In fact, I know it’s not. I don’t believe it is enough anymore and the thing is, I think that’s true of all knowledge workers, not just lawyers. So, I’m going to get into what my take is today, why my thinking has changed, what I’m doing about it, and what I recommend you do about it.

My new take is: Lawyers should learn to code.

But, that’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Let me unpack that.

• I am not saying that lawyers should learn to code because I’m excited about coding so you should be excited about it and learn it too.
• I am not saying that lawyers should learn to code and literally mean you should pick up a computer programming language and that that, in itself, is sufficient.
• I am not saying that lawyers should learn to code without the understanding that what it means to “code” is changing within the context of our new AI reality.

So, what am I saying? Let’s start with an analogy.

Imagine you’re taking a trip to Japan. What might you do? Buy your airplane ticket and book your hotel. Plan an itinerary of popular places to see. Learn a few helpful phrases just in case you need to use them, right? Ohayo (Good Morning) or Arigato (Thank You), maybe even Kesh?-shitsu wa doko de suka (Where is the bathroom)?

Learning these phrases may be useful. They may come in handy. People you meet may find it nice that you’ve made an effort. But, learning these phrases will not necessarily enrich your experience of Japan. Learning about the history and culture beforehand or even while there would likely imbue the experience with greater significance and understanding.

Core cultural concepts, such as thinking of others, doing your best, not giving up, respecting your elders, and working in a group, reveal a Japanese mindset. This mindset further enhances one’s appreciation for the history, culture, language and people. Taken altogether, it gives the curious traveler an insider’s perspective of Japan. Once becomes more of a participant than an observer.

This is what I mean when I say “lawyers should learn to code.”

Just as learning about the mindset, history and culture of Japan enriches your experience and understanding of the country, learning to code (through the lens of the mindset, history and culture of computer science) can help lawyers to gain a deeper understanding of the AI-first world we now live in and to wield AI tools to their best advantage and benefit.

Learning to code shouldn’t be an academic exercise, nor is learning to code any longer a “nice to have”; it is critically necessary to our professional survival.