Artificial Intelligence assumes legal tasks: Does it pose a threat to the 150,000-euro employment for lawyers?
In a significant shift for the legal industry, the rise of Generative AI (GenAI) is raising concerns about the future of legal training positions. According to the 2024 Future Ready Lawyer Study by Wolters Kluwer, an increasing number of lawyers are adopting GenAI, with 68% of lawyers in law firms and 76% of legal experts in corporate legal departments using it at least once a week.
The high use of GenAI could lead to a drastic drop in legal training positions. AI increasingly automates tasks traditionally done by junior lawyers or trainees, reducing demand for human apprenticeships in legal advisory roles. Efficiency gains from AI might also cause law firms to hire fewer trainees as fewer manpower hours are needed for certain legal work. This potential link is driven by technological displacement effects, where AI tools take over routine legal research and document drafting, limiting training opportunities that used to be abundant in these areas.
However, the decline in legal training positions was not as severe in other areas studied, such as tax consulting, secretarial work, and software development.
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It's important to note that AI can write code, emails, articles, and contracts. Yet, the article does not provide information on the frequency of AI usage in writing legal contracts.
The number of training positions in legal advice has decreased by 51% since 2015, and only half as many legal trainees are being trained as ten years ago. The article also questions whether lawyers' well-paid jobs could be at risk due to the increasing use of GenAI.
The article does mention AI's ability to write legal contracts as part of the 2024 Future Ready Lawyer Study by Wolters Kluwer. Usage profiles may be created and enriched, even outside the EEA, as part of the subscription service integration.
As the legal industry continues to evolve, it's crucial to stay informed about the impact of AI on both the practice and the workforce.
