If you’ve spent any time around legal tech lately, you’ve probably noticed how AI is reshaping the practice of law. The next generation of lawyers will be expected to use it fluently from day one.
The Shift Is Already Here
AI isn’t everywhere yet, but its footprint in legal work is growing rapidly. In the UK, 61 percent of lawyers say they are using generative AI in their daily practice, up from 46 percent earlier this year. Firms are using it for document drafting (36 percent), contract review (29 percent), and e-discovery (20 percent).
Ultimately, tomorrow’s lawyers will need real tool competence to work with AI-powered research, drafting, and review tools.
And that naturally raises a bigger issue: are law schools evolving fast enough to meet these new expectations?
Legal Education Is Evolving
As Amy Ross, Chief of Attorney Talent at Ropes & Gray, puts it:
“The idea that you can go through law school, not engage with AI, and then come to support our clients just doesn’t seem to be the direction the world is heading.”
Some law schools are catching on. They are weaving AI into coursework, clinics, and hands-on projects:
- University of Chicago Law School launched an AI Lab in 2025, where students build tools for renters’ rights.
- Yale Law School is turning students into builders, testers, and critics of legal AI through interdisciplinary teaching and real-world experimentation.
- UCL now offers short courses on AI in law.
- Swansea’s LLM in LegalTech covers AI, blockchain, and more.
- Brunel University offers an LLM in Artificial Intelligence, Law and Technology.
This isn’t theory on a whiteboard. Students are learning to use AI, pressure-test it, and apply it to real legal problems.
Still, technical know-how is only part of the picture.
Judgement in an AI World
Not long ago, the rallying cry was to teach lawyers how to code. That moment has clearly passed. Today’s challenge is different.
Lawyers don’t need to be developers. But they do need to understand how to use AI with confidence and judgment. They must be able to question outputs, interpret insights, and apply those insights in meaningful ways.
As Sarah Glassmeyer, Director of Data Curation at the LegalTechnology Hub, reminds us: “Accountability isn’t abstract - it is the profession’s core.”
Lawyers still make the calls: when to settle, what strategic advice to give, how to safeguard client interests. AI can surface insights, but only humans turn those insights into sound judgment.
Tech Fluency + Human Judgement = The Future Lawyer
So the job for law schools is bigger than training students on tools. It means giving future lawyers the skills to lead in a profession shaped by rapid change. They need to build:
- AI literacy: understanding what AI can and cannot do;
- Strategic thinking: using machine-generated insights wisely;
- Communication skills: explaining AI-assisted decisions clearly and confidently.
That is how we prepare lawyers who will not just keep up as AI grows. They will use it to deepen their expertise and deliver better outcomes for their clients. Because AI will not replace lawyers. But lawyers who know how to work effectively with AI will have the advantage.
