With the proliferation of GenAI tools and their rapid deployment in the workplace, many lawyers are asking how GenAI will impact the legal sector. One does not have to look far to see the tremendous number of legal tech companies and industry stalwarts deploying GenAI technologies into their tools and resources. GenAI continues to evolve and advance at a strikingly fast pace compared to past disruptive technologies, and it shows no signs of slowing. In fact, the pace of the GenAI revolution is increasing. Even lawyers in private practice are increasingly using and deploying GenAI tools for internal use and also to assist their clients in completing legal tasks.
Lawyers who are not already utilizing GenAI tools will likely be doing so soon, whether directly or indirectly in the work product and other document flows that permeate the practice of law. But what is the exposure of the legal sector generally to GenAI tools? Companies such as Indeed are watching all industry sectors closely for GenAI’s impact, and evaluating GenAI’s perceived proficiency in related skills and tasks. One need only look at data crunched from Indeed job postings from July to August of 2023 to see that the legal sector is highly exposed to GenAI-driven change when compared to other sectors. While many are focusing their attention on software development and IT tasks as being at high risk, the legal sector and its accounting counterparts are both in the high exposure zone.
What are lawyers to do? Keep abreast of GenAI trends, for one. And for the legal Luddites among us, take care as the GenAI revolution is one that may quickly pass you by. Lawyers who develop GenAI skills and understand how to use GenAI to create client success will be in high demand. The effect of GenAI on the legal sector generally is a story that is still being written. But change is here, and the legal industry will never be the same.
Read: Indeed’s AI at Work Report: How GenAI Will Impact Jobs and the Skills Needed to Perform Them