"We've all lost count of the times we've received an email, policy, or memo from a lawyer so "well written" that nobody understands it. It's frustrating, and you want to write back: "Great legal summary - I have no idea what it means." Unfortunately, that's often how legal communications are received by business colleagues and stakeholders: overly complicated, needlessly formal, and disconnected from everyday business needs - not human."
"Yes, AI is advancing quickly. Tools like Harvey, Spellbook, and Lex Machina are already transforming how lawyers research, draft, and analyze. But here's the irony: instead of turning lawyers into robots, AI may actually free them to become more human. AI is already adept at doing what law school trained us to do - identifying risks, spotting issues, and referencing precedent. What it's not good at is nuance, trust, or judgment - skills that define great lawyering."
"When AI handles some of the drudgery - like contract clause spotting and formatting - it gives us something precious back: time. That time forces lawyers to stop hiding behind legalese and impractical analysis. It allows - and even demands - that we communicate like leaders. Imagine walking into a business meeting and, instead of delivering a 20-page memo, offering a single slide with a recommendation tied directly to company goals."
Legal communications are often opaque, overly formal, and disconnected from everyday business needs, which frustrates stakeholders. The legal profession has long equated complexity with competence, producing dense contracts, memos, and policies. Emerging AI tools like Harvey, Spellbook, and Lex Machina automate research, drafting, and analysis tasks. AI excels at identifying risks, spotting issues, and referencing precedent but lacks nuance, trust, and judgment. Automation of repetitive tasks returns time to lawyers, enabling concise, business-aligned recommendations and leadership-style communication tied directly to company goals. Business leaders prefer clarity and actionable guidance over lengthy analysis and footnotes.
Read at Above the Law
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