We’ve all lost count of the times we’ve received an email, policy, or memo from a lawyer so “well written” that nobody understands it. It’s frustrating, and you want to write back: “Great legal summary — I have no idea what it means.”
Unfortunately, that’s often how legal communications are received by business colleagues and stakeholders: overly complicated, needlessly formal, and disconnected from everyday business needs — not human.
For too long, the legal profession has equated complexity with competence. Contracts, memos, and policies packed with dense language and archaic legalese — complete with exhaustive footnotes — have been seen as hallmarks of legal skill.
AI Is Reshaping How Lawyers Think And Communicate
But in the age of artificial intelligence, that might finally change — and not in the way most fear.
Yes, AI is advancing quickly. Tools like Harvey, Spellbook, and Lex Machina are already transforming how lawyers research, draft, and analyze. But here’s the irony: instead of turning lawyers into robots, AI may actually free them to become more human.
AI is already adept at doing what law school trained us to do — identifying risks, spotting issues, and referencing precedent. What it’s not good at is nuance, trust, or judgment — skills that define great lawyering.
When AI handles some of the drudgery — like contract clause spotting and formatting — it gives us something precious back: time. That time forces lawyers to stop hiding behind legalese and impractical analysis. It allows — and even demands — that we communicate like leaders.
Imagine walking into a business meeting and, instead of delivering a 20-page memo, offering a single slide with a recommendation tied directly to company goals. That’s not just good lawyering; that’s leadership. And AI may be the catalyst that gets us there.
Businesses Don’t Pay By The Word — Or The Footnote
Let’s be honest: business leaders aren’t impressed by lengthy legal analysis. They want clarity, direction, and advice aligned with business objectives. They’re not paying for academic thoroughness; they’re paying for actionable answers.
Yet for years, many lawyers have responded to this demand by doubling down on complexity. The prevailing belief has been that the longer and more technical the memo, the more valuable the advice. Legal teams often conflate precision with exhaustiveness, thinking that covering every possibility makes advice more defensible.
The truth? This approach doesn’t instill confidence. It does the opposite — it slows decision-making and alienates colleagues.
AI changes the game. When generative tools can translate clauses into plain English, the old value proposition of complexity begins to crumble. The playing field shifts — from who can analyze the most thoroughly to who can communicate the most clearly.
That’s not a threat. It’s an opportunity — one for lawyers to become better partners to the business by focusing on what matters most: sound judgment delivered in plain language.
The Most Human Skills Are Now the Most Valuable
It turns out the skills business leaders have always wanted — judgment, prioritization, and practical legal analysis — are the same ones AI can’t replicate. The future of law isn’t about replacing lawyers; it’s about elevating them.
We may soon see a world where lawyers are no longer rewarded for how much they can write but for the value of their advice. It won’t be the lawyer who analyzes every nuance and every possible scenario who adds the most value. It will be the lawyer who drills issues down to their simplest terms, describes and assesses risk, and recommends a course of action aligned with business objectives and risk tolerance.
It’s the lawyer’s job to use AI-generated resources and leverage them into thoughtful, human legal analysis.
If that happens, AI won’t dehumanize the legal profession. It will bring us back to what lawyering should have always been a value-added business resource.
Lisa Lang is an accomplished in-house lawyer and thought leader dedicated to empowering fellow legal professionals. She offers insights and resources tailored for in-house counsel through her website and blog, Why This, Not That™ (www.lawyerlisalang.com). Lisa actively engages with the legal community via LinkedIn, sharing her expertise and fostering meaningful connections. You can reach her at lisa@lawyerlisalang.com, connect on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawyerlisalang/).
Joshua Horenstein has an extensive background in executive leadership and HR/legal/facilities/regulatory management. He is Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer at Innophos Holdings, Inc., an international specialty ingredient and chemical manufacturer. At Innophos, Josh is responsible for all human resources, legal, corporate facilities and regulatory matters worldwide for the company. Prior to joining Innophos, Josh practiced law at several leading law firms in the Philadelphia metro area and was Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Rock Your Phone, Inc.
The post Lawyering In The Age Of AI: Why Artificial Intelligence Might Make Lawyers More Human appeared first on Above the Law.
We’ve all lost count of the times we’ve received an email, policy, or memo from a lawyer so “well written” that nobody understands it. It’s frustrating, and you want to write back: “Great legal summary — I have no idea what it means.”
Unfortunately, that’s often how legal communications are received by business colleagues and stakeholders: overly complicated, needlessly formal, and disconnected from everyday business needs — not human.
For too long, the legal profession has equated complexity with competence. Contracts, memos, and policies packed with dense language and archaic legalese — complete with exhaustive footnotes — have been seen as hallmarks of legal skill.
AI Is Reshaping How Lawyers Think And Communicate
But in the age of artificial intelligence, that might finally change — and not in the way most fear.
Yes, AI is advancing quickly. Tools like Harvey, Spellbook, and Lex Machina are already transforming how lawyers research, draft, and analyze. But here’s the irony: instead of turning lawyers into robots, AI may actually free them to become more human.
AI is already adept at doing what law school trained us to do — identifying risks, spotting issues, and referencing precedent. What it’s not good at is nuance, trust, or judgment — skills that define great lawyering.
When AI handles some of the drudgery — like contract clause spotting and formatting — it gives us something precious back: time. That time forces lawyers to stop hiding behind legalese and impractical analysis. It allows — and even demands — that we communicate like leaders.
Imagine walking into a business meeting and, instead of delivering a 20-page memo, offering a single slide with a recommendation tied directly to company goals. That’s not just good lawyering; that’s leadership. And AI may be the catalyst that gets us there.
Businesses Don’t Pay By The Word — Or The Footnote
Let’s be honest: business leaders aren’t impressed by lengthy legal analysis. They want clarity, direction, and advice aligned with business objectives. They’re not paying for academic thoroughness; they’re paying for actionable answers.
Yet for years, many lawyers have responded to this demand by doubling down on complexity. The prevailing belief has been that the longer and more technical the memo, the more valuable the advice. Legal teams often conflate precision with exhaustiveness, thinking that covering every possibility makes advice more defensible.
The truth? This approach doesn’t instill confidence. It does the opposite — it slows decision-making and alienates colleagues.
AI changes the game. When generative tools can translate clauses into plain English, the old value proposition of complexity begins to crumble. The playing field shifts — from who can analyze the most thoroughly to who can communicate the most clearly.
That’s not a threat. It’s an opportunity — one for lawyers to become better partners to the business by focusing on what matters most: sound judgment delivered in plain language.
The Most Human Skills Are Now the Most Valuable
It turns out the skills business leaders have always wanted — judgment, prioritization, and practical legal analysis — are the same ones AI can’t replicate. The future of law isn’t about replacing lawyers; it’s about elevating them.
We may soon see a world where lawyers are no longer rewarded for how much they can write but for the value of their advice. It won’t be the lawyer who analyzes every nuance and every possible scenario who adds the most value. It will be the lawyer who drills issues down to their simplest terms, describes and assesses risk, and recommends a course of action aligned with business objectives and risk tolerance.
It’s the lawyer’s job to use AI-generated resources and leverage them into thoughtful, human legal analysis.
If that happens, AI won’t dehumanize the legal profession. It will bring us back to what lawyering should have always been a value-added business resource.
Lisa Lang is an accomplished in-house lawyer and thought leader dedicated to empowering fellow legal professionals. She offers insights and resources tailored for in-house counsel through her website and blog, Why This, Not That™ (www.lawyerlisalang.com). Lisa actively engages with the legal community via LinkedIn, sharing her expertise and fostering meaningful connections. You can reach her at [email protected], connect on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawyerlisalang/).
Joshua Horenstein has an extensive background in executive leadership and HR/legal/facilities/regulatory management. He is Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer at Innophos Holdings, Inc., an international specialty ingredient and chemical manufacturer. At Innophos, Josh is responsible for all human resources, legal, corporate facilities and regulatory matters worldwide for the company. Prior to joining Innophos, Josh practiced law at several leading law firms in the Philadelphia metro area and was Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Rock Your Phone, Inc.
