A buddy and ‘digital twin’

Delegates at a conference were told that at least one session would be ‘an AI-free zone’, a commitment that lasted for about 10 minutes. This is the conundrum for the layperson: AI is a wonderful tool, but its impact is the subject of every interaction. Is it a game-changer or just a lazy way of generating social media posts? This book does an excellent job of setting out the case for AI being transformative in law while providing practical guidance for implementation. 

Putting the tool to task, the book was written with the assistance of AI. While AI excels at writing plausible text, can the production of a discursive book really compare to the complexity of a legal document? Given the rapid evolution of AI agents – covered here – the authors suggest it can.

Balance is struck between positioning AI as a future cure‑all and focusing on the practical steps organisations can take. A compelling argument is made for data being the potential differentiator between firms. It is not about the newest AI tools, but about generating consistent, clean data across legal matters to identify patterns. Practitioners know such data can be hard to capture and firms need to start here.

Similarly, there is recognition of the problem facing junior lawyers: if AI can reliably do their work, how will they learn? The future of the profession rests on finding an answer – and the authors have one. They position AI as a trainer, mentor or buddy; a ‘digital twin’ which is trained on the preferences of the partner(s) they are working with (or, at the least, the norms of the team). This is symbiosis: necessary human intervention in the process while providing educational support. Leaving an inexperienced lawyer with AI is high risk; it will be critical that supervisors remain in touch. Therefore, communication between people becomes more important.

Human-centred skills are at the heart of the collaborative model the authors ultimately propose. They envisage a profession where a firm’s knowledge and skills are applied in that client’s ‘environment’ – a seamless integration of AI systems. It is (correctly) pointed out that this would be a cultural as much as a technological change, binding clients and lawyers more closely than ever before.

Tom Proverbs-Garbett is a director of TrustPoint Governance and author of Being a Trainee Solicitor: How to Survive and Thrive