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.
For
too
long,
the
legal
profession
has
equated
complexity
with
competence.
Contracts,
memos,
and
policies
packed
with
dense
language
and
archaic
legalese
—
complete
with
exhaustive
footnotes
—
have
been
seen
as
hallmarks
of
legal
skill.
AI
Is
Reshaping
How
Lawyers
Think
And
Communicate
But
in
the
age
of
artificial
intelligence,
that
might
finally
change
—
and
not
in
the
way
most
fear.
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.
That’s
not
just
good
lawyering;
that’s
leadership.
And
AI
may
be
the
catalyst
that
gets
us
there.
Businesses
Don’t
Pay
By
The
Word
—
Or
The
Footnote
Let’s
be
honest:
business
leaders
aren’t
impressed
by
lengthy
legal
analysis.
They
want
clarity,
direction,
and
advice
aligned
with
business
objectives.
They’re
not
paying
for
academic
thoroughness;
they’re
paying
for
actionable
answers.
Yet
for
years,
many
lawyers
have
responded
to
this
demand
by
doubling
down
on
complexity.
The
prevailing
belief
has
been
that
the
longer
and
more
technical
the
memo,
the
more
valuable
the
advice.
Legal
teams
often
conflate
precision
with
exhaustiveness,
thinking
that
covering
every
possibility
makes
advice
more
defensible.
The
truth?
This
approach
doesn’t
instill
confidence.
It
does
the
opposite
—
it
slows
decision-making
and
alienates
colleagues.
AI
changes
the
game.
When
generative
tools
can
translate
clauses
into
plain
English,
the
old
value
proposition
of
complexity
begins
to
crumble.
The
playing
field
shifts
—
from
who
can
analyze
the
most
thoroughly
to
who
can
communicate
the
most
clearly.
That’s
not
a
threat.
It’s
an
opportunity
—
one
for
lawyers
to
become
better
partners
to
the
business
by
focusing
on
what
matters
most:
sound
judgment
delivered
in
plain
language.
The
Most
Human
Skills
Are
Now
the
Most
Valuable
It
turns
out
the
skills
business
leaders
have
always
wanted
—
judgment,
prioritization,
and
practical
legal
analysis
—
are
the
same
ones
AI
can’t
replicate.
The
future
of
law
isn’t
about
replacing
lawyers;
it’s
about
elevating
them.
We
may
soon
see
a
world
where
lawyers
are
no
longer
rewarded
for
how
much
they
can
write
but
for
the
value
of
their
advice.
It
won’t
be
the
lawyer
who
analyzes
every
nuance
and
every
possible
scenario
who
adds
the
most
value.
It
will
be
the
lawyer
who
drills
issues
down
to
their
simplest
terms,
describes
and
assesses
risk,
and
recommends
a
course
of
action
aligned
with
business
objectives
and
risk
tolerance.
It’s
the
lawyer’s
job
to
use
AI-generated
resources
and
leverage
them
into
thoughtful,
human
legal
analysis.
If
that
happens,
AI
won’t
dehumanize
the
legal
profession.
It
will
bring
us
back
to
what
lawyering
should
have
always
been
a
value-added
business
resource.
Lisa
Lang
is
an
accomplished
in-house
lawyer
and
thought
leader
dedicated
to
empowering
fellow
legal
professionals. She
offers
insights
and
resources
tailored
for
in-house
counsel
through
her
website
and
blog,
Why
This,
Not
That™
(www.lawyerlisalang.com).
Lisa
actively
engages
with
the
legal
community
via
LinkedIn,
sharing
her
expertise
and
fostering
meaningful
connections.
You
can
reach
her
at
[email protected],
connect
on
LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawyerlisalang/).
Joshua
Horenstein
has
an
extensive
background
in
executive
leadership
and
HR/legal/facilities/regulatory
management. He
is
Senior
Vice
President,
Chief
Legal
Officer
and
Chief
Human
Resources
Officer
at
Innophos
Holdings,
Inc.,
an
international
specialty
ingredient
and
chemical
manufacturer.
At
Innophos,
Josh
is
responsible
for
all
human
resources,
legal,
corporate
facilities
and
regulatory
matters
worldwide
for
the
company.
Prior
to
joining
Innophos,
Josh
practiced
law
at
several
leading
law
firms
in
the
Philadelphia
metro
area
and
was
Vice
President
and
Chief
Legal
Officer
at
Rock
Your
Phone,
Inc.