Over Reliance on AI and Skill Atrophy at Biglaw

Note: This article is just one of 60+ sections from our full report titled: The 2024 Legal AI Retrospective - Key Lessons from the Past Year. Please download the full report to check any citations.

Challenge: Over Reliance on AI and Skill Atrophy

Excessive dependence on AI tools may lead to a decline in critical thinking and analytical skills among legal professionals.

A 2024 report highlighted that judicial officers and lawyers have a basic duty to be competent in technology relevant to their profession, including AI.[131]

"A majority of lawyers and law schools have yet to lean into AI. Surveys of the profession indicate that a few lawyers and students have relied on gen AI tools to perform substantive legal tasks. Awareness of AI has yet to translate into acceptance of AI, however. This moment may become reflective of the inertia that has long defined the profession. Lawyering in 20 years will be entirely different, require us to pause, and significantly adjust our approach to teaching and practicing the law."

Kevin Frazier, Assistant Professor, St. Thomas University College of Law; Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Law and AI, USA