Ai Law Firms Or Human Lawyers – Who We Should Be Looking After

As more and more law firms are getting engaged with software / hardware developers and coders in finding a newer solution to their own data management and case management systems through artificial intelligence and big data entries, a question needs to be asked; are we thinking about getting rid of all those people who does not only work with their minds but also with their hearts?

A study by Deloitte has suggested that technology is already leading to job losses in the UK legal sector, and some 114,000 jobs could be automated within 20 years (Source: Financial Times). A simple answer needs to be found by lawyers and their firms. Will it be enough?

The biggest threat in the legal job sector will be faced by Junior lawyers, legal secretaries and apprentices as, their jobs of finding case laws, precedents, drafting and references can all be done through data entries. While the senior lawyers will be mainly engaged with complex cases, the traditional works that are undertaken by junior lawyers, paralegals, secretaries etc. could also be managed by AI.

Now, as a law student and an Advocate, what I understand simply is that, we do not only work by our minds but also through our environment. We find clues from our surroundings and engage it with the cases to find the just and reasonable points to be noted. Can systems engage in the same manner? Yes, it can. Recent developments have shown that, as it learns from the others, very soon, AI will also be able to copy and think like a human (As long as we teach it). The machine teaches itself and as much information as you put through it, it becomes more intelligent. That is where the problem also lies. ;Who will teach them? Here, it gets funny. So, we are talking about humans creating intelligence for humans so that, they can do jobs of humans causing other humans losing their jobs.

All is not poor here. Some of the firms are using it to help their junior lawyers and assistants to research and draft in a timely and professional manner using AI and its saving client’s time, money and, moreover, it’s helping the assistants to getting more focused on the facts and cases. That is where it actually should be used. Technology needs to be used in a manner where it helps individuals to do a better job in a friendly and in a timely manner.

Humans are not only about intelligence and emotions. We are a complex creature. And, that is the reason, we act for or against. It is to be within the thought process whether AI would be able to read those complex minds and whether it would be able to react in the same manner. If it does not, then, cases would be lost in data entries. ;