Law Firm Founder Explains Why AI Adoption Matters for Attorneys
General Legal, a startup law firm built from the ground up to use AI, launched with backing from veterans of Cooley, Fenwick, and Thomson Reuters. The firm's co-founder and chief technology officer, Javed Qadrud-Din, is working to prove that artificial intelligence can reshape how legal work gets done.
Traditional law firms face a specific problem: they were built for a different era. Adding AI to an existing practice means retraining staff, rewriting processes, and often confronting resistance from partners invested in how things have always worked.
An AI-native firm starts differently. Every workflow, from research to document review to client communication, assumes AI will handle routine work. Lawyers focus on strategy and judgment. Paralegals and associates spend less time on repetitive tasks.
Qadrud-Din said the gap between traditional firms and AI-equipped ones will widen. "The firms that don't adopt AI will find themselves unable to compete on efficiency or cost," he said in an interview.
The challenge isn't technology. Major legal tech vendors already offer AI tools. The challenge is organizational. Partners must accept lower billable hours. Hiring models shift. The economics of a law firm change.
General Legal's approach tests whether a clean-slate operation can move faster than incumbents trying to retrofit. The firm hired experienced attorneys who understand legal work but lack habits built over decades in traditional settings.
For in-house counsel and legal departments, the question is simpler: which outside counsel can deliver work faster and cheaper? Firms that master AI will answer yes. Those that don't will lose clients to ones that do.
Learn more about AI for Legal professionals and explore an AI Learning Path for Paralegals to understand how these tools reshape legal work.
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