The Impact of AI on Legal Training
Early in my career, I spent countless hours in dim warehouses, sifting through stacks of documents looking for anything relevant. Back then, I felt this tedious work didn’t really teach much beyond how to rack up billable hours. It was demoralizing and often drained enthusiasm. That’s why I’ve argued that AI taking over these mundane tasks won't necessarily harm the development of junior lawyers. Training might change, but future lawyers can still become as skilled—if not more so—than those today for several reasons.
Still, it’s valuable to challenge our assumptions from time to time. The issue is rarely as black and white as initial beliefs suggest.
Gut Instinct and Science
Research by Daniel Kahneman and Gary Klein explores how people unconsciously recognize patterns from past experiences to make decisions. Their work, especially on Recognition-Primed Decision Making (RPD), shows how this pattern recognition helps experts develop what is often called “gut instinct.” For example, experienced lawyers can sense when opposing counsel may be ready to settle, based on behaviors they've witnessed repeatedly.
If RPD holds true, then exposure to many patterns improves a lawyer’s intuitive judgment. The more scenarios encountered, the sharper the instinct.
Pattern Recognition in Legal Training
Consider document review and legal research, often dreaded tasks for junior lawyers. These tasks expose them to recurring legal patterns: common contract clauses, links between documents, typical legal risks, and judicial reasoning trends. This repetitive exposure builds a mental library of “what looks off” or “what feels right,” feeding into their gut instincts over time.
For example, encountering ambiguous indemnity clauses repeatedly helps a lawyer spot potential pitfalls quickly. However, simply processing large volumes of low-value emails or documents may not sharpen instincts as effectively as focused exposure to meaningful patterns.
Simple Repetition Is Not Enough
Modern AI tools can surface relevant cases, trends, and outcomes much faster than manual review. This accelerates pattern exposure and can enrich a lawyer’s knowledge base.
But developing true legal skills requires more than repetition. According to research on expertise, deliberate practice is critical. This means purposeful, focused effort aimed at improving performance—not just mindless repetition.
AI can help junior lawyers build a broader and deeper “database” of patterns, potentially reducing reliance on gut instinct in favor of data-driven decisions. Some experts even question the reliability of gut instincts, favoring fact-based analysis instead.
Interestingly, both human intuition and AI pattern recognition rely on past data. Where they differ is that human “gut” also draws on emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and situational awareness—skills nurtured through mentorship, client interaction, and courtroom experience. AI handling grunt work won’t erode these softer skills but may shift how they develop.
Practical Solutions
AI won’t eliminate the need for effective legal training. To prepare lawyers for the future, training programs should focus on deliberate pattern recognition through structured, diverse exposure. Some practical steps include:
- Creating structured programs that expose junior lawyers to a variety of legal scenarios beyond billable work.
- Using simulation-based learning like case studies and mock transactions, with senior lawyers providing detailed feedback.
- Teaching junior lawyers how to effectively use AI as a research and analysis tool, coupled with mentorship to discern quality insights.
- Encouraging early hands-on experience enabled by AI, so pattern recognition develops through meaningful practice rather than manual grunt work.
- Enhancing mentorship to focus explicitly on teaching pattern recognition and judgment skills rather than assuming these will develop naturally.
- Communicating to clients the importance of investing in junior lawyer development beyond just task completion.
A Path Forward
Legal training must evolve alongside AI advances. Whether or not you fully accept the RPD theory, AI’s role in replacing routine work is permanent. Maximizing AI’s benefits in training is essential.
Simply lamenting past methods won’t solve the challenges ahead. Thoughtful, purposeful training that focuses on building key skills through diverse experience and mentorship will be critical. The legal profession stands at a crossroads: adapt training thoughtfully for AI’s impact or risk losing the pattern recognition that makes today’s best lawyers effective.
Your membership also unlocks:
