Will big tech take over the work of lawyers?

Professionals in different industries are having to evolve and learn new skills to stay ahead of solutions created by software engineers. Whether it’s the fast food industry or the real estate industry, people are feeling the impact of big tech on a global scale. The end consumer of these industries impacted by tech innovations tends to enjoy the lower costs but can result in the professionals in affected industries worrying about job security.

Will big tech change the way things are done in the legal space? How will everything play out in the years to come?

Some of the effects of technology on the legal industry 

Just in the last few decades, the way lawyers communicate with their clients has transitioned to only phone calls and in-person meetings to include emails as a way to share information. In recent months, the use of video conferencing has grown due to current health conditions in the world today.

Attorneys are more accessible than ever before thanks to the widespread use of smartphones which makes it easier for people to receive legal assistance. Anyone can perform a quick search for an attorney near their current location. It doesn’t matter if someone is in California or Utah since a licensed attorney is just a few keystrokes away.

Automation of legal tasks

One aspect of legal work are the many documents that need to be collected and saved digitally. There are other responsibilities taken care of by attorneys that can be automated as well such as data analysis and helping attorneys review legal contracts at a faster rate. A study by the University of North Carolina School of Law estimates software solutions capable of automating document review could potentially reduce an attorney’s workload by 13 percent. More research by the McKinsey Global Institute shows that as much as 23 percent of a lawyer’s job can be automated. As automation becomes more of a reality, lawyers can become more efficient and focus more on problem-solving on behalf of their clients.

The potential impact of big tech on day-to-day work of attorneys

While it may take several years to decades before more legal work is automated, gradual adoption of tech in the legal industry will affect the day to day tasks of top-tier attorneys. Highly paid licensed attorneys with more experience will spend less time dealing with tasks they would try to take care of on their own or outsource to less experienced attorneys. Automation allows attorneys to commit more energy to solve complex problems.

Replacing attorneys with big tech

The need for licensed lawyers won’t be going away anytime soon. There are no technological solutions to replace attorneys who argue in the courtroom or who negotiate the value of injuries when dealing with insurance companies. There is no computer formula to calculate the value of human loss, pain, or suffering related to personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims. Human lawyers are needed to communicate such losses and to argue for the true value of justice.

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