Designing lawyers: Attorney growth in the age of AI-fueled practice

2026-05-11 · Source: Thomson Reuters Institute · Field: Legal & Regulatory — Legal Technology (LegalTech), Legal Education & Professional Development · Depth: Intermediate, medium

Summary

Lorie Almon, Chair & Managing Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, argues that AI's profound impact on legal practice extends beyond efficiency gains to fundamentally reshape lawyer development. The traditional apprenticeship model, which has guided legal education for centuries, is being transformed as AI tools automate many time-consuming tasks previously integral to developing legal judgment. This shift necessitates that law firm leaders act as "systems design architects" to intentionally structure workflows, training, and feedback. The goal is to ensure AI supplements, rather than replaces, critical thinking, reflection, and human interaction, thereby fostering exceptional, client-centered lawyers. The article emphasizes that firms must use AI to strengthen human judgment and critical thinking, not merely to accelerate work, to avoid cognitive offloading and shallow understanding among future practitioners.

Key takeaway

For law firm leaders tasked with cultivating top-tier legal talent, you must critically re-evaluate traditional development pathways. Design new systems where AI enhances, rather than diminishes, opportunities for junior lawyers to build judgment and expertise through active reasoning and robust feedback. Your firm's long-term success hinges on using AI to create better lawyers, not just faster work, by integrating human skills with technological capabilities.

Key insights

AI necessitates redesigning lawyer development to preserve judgment and expertise amidst task automation.

Principles

• AI should supplement, not replace, effortful thinking.
• Human mentorship remains central in AI-enabled legal practice.
• Evaluate lawyers on quality, judgment, and analytical skills.

Method

Leaders must design workflows where AI supports active thinking, provides feedback, and ensures lawyers remain active participants in reasoning, not just passive editors of machine-generated output.

In practice

• Sequence AI use to preserve deep thinking.
• Emphasize critical thinking in legal education.
• Develop human skills like connectivity and integrity.

Topics

• AI in Legal Practice
• Lawyer Development
• Legal Apprenticeship Model
• Law Firm Leadership
• Professional Growth

Best for: Executive, Consultant

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Thomson Reuters Institute.