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AI key to long-term survival, not widespread job losses
Rather than fearing widespread job losses, young lawyers and graduates should learn from artificial intelligence, said an Australian compensation law firm.
Naomi Neilson
Increasingly, the concerns with artificial intelligence (AI) relates to its potential to taking over work usually reserved for graduates. However, Travis Schultz said AI will instead promote professional development and training for long-term survival.
Mr Schultz said sometimes firms see the professional development training programs as “intangible and low priority expense” and are attracted to immediacy of return in the marketing expenditure, but that the advent of AI means management must look at the abilities of young lawyers and expand their skill sets more quickly.
He added the risks are greatest for firms that focus on billable hour targets and see that training and development budgets are “low-hanging fruit”.
“Firms who offer the best training and development of an early career professional will not only reap rewards in terms of output quality and efficiency, but culture and morale will benefit; as will staff retention rates and succession plans,” Mr Schultz said.
Law professor Jay Sanderson from the University of the Sunshine Coast said training and professional development are crucial so lawyers can learn and improve.
“Importantly, too, professional development helps build the culture of the workplace as well as a sense of belonging for staff and clients. In exercising their judgement, lawyers use experience and intuition, so exposing lawyers to more challenging tasks sooner will help them build experience,” Professor Sanderson said.
He added there is an increasing focus on professional development in curriculum. Law programs focus not only on content and substantive legal issues, but also have a focus on critical and creative thinking, communication and leadership.
“Research suggests that it is not enough to merely have professional development but there is also a need to strengthen the quality and improve results of development,” he said.
Mr Shultz is calling on firms to focus on training and development and to be sensitive to the needs of young lawyers who now need to improve their skill sets. He said as AI “invades our profession”, more highly skilled professionals will survive long term.
“Whether you’re a naysayer or a technology convert, you’d have to accept machines and software can undoubtedly look after the laborious tasks that are often the domain of the early career lawyers,” Mr Schultz said. “But to me, AI seems likely to augment, rather than replace the jobs of young professionals as it allows lawyers to leave the mundane to machines while they get to focus on higher end assignments.”
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
