Lots
of
questions
swirl
around
the
use
of
AI
by
lawyers
in
general
and
young
lawyers
in
particular.
The
questions
all
center
around
how
do
we
train
young
lawyers
to
use
AI
tools
safely
and
proficiently
while
ensuring
they
develop
the
skills
firms
want
them
to
have?
At
least
two
leading
firms
have
recently
taken
affirmative
steps
to
do
just
that
and
prepare
for
a
future
where
proficiency
in
the
use
of
AI
tools
will
be
critical.
Both
firms
have
elected
to
make
an
investment
in
the
future
that
we
often
don’t
see
in
the
legal
community.
Both
firms
have
elected
to
forgo
some
billable
hours
and
perhaps
revenue
for
future
returns.
Both
firms
aren’t
just
talking
professional
development
for
young
lawyers,
they’re
investing
real
resources
and
forgoing
billable
hours.
They
are
walking
the
walk.
The
Ropes
&
Gray
Initiative
The
first
is
Ropes
&
Gray,
headquartered
in
Boston.
Ropes
has
over
1,500
attorneys
with
16
offices
worldwide
and
is
an
Am
Law
50
firm.
Definitely
qualifies
as
Biglaw.
Ropes
has
decided
to
make
a
sizeable
investment
in
AI:
starting
immediately,
first-year
associates
can
spend
up
to
400
hours
of
their
annual
1,900-hour
billable
hour
requirement
for
AI
training
and
experimentation.
This
can
include
time
experimenting
and
working
in
groups.
That’s
up
to
20%
of
the
total
requirement.
The
time,
of
course,
can’t
be
billed
to
clients.
According
to
Amy
Ross,
Chief
of
Attorney
Talent,
and
Jane
Rogers,
Partner
&
Co-head
of
the
Finance
Practice,
the
associates
will
work
in
mentoring
circles
to
discuss
how
they
have
used
AI,
what
success
they
have
found
and
importantly
what
opportunities
they
have
identified.
The
associates
will
also
receive
hands
on
training.
“Associates
are
expected
to
co-create
solutions,
act
as
thought
partners,
and
help
establish
repeatable,
defensible
approaches
for
applying
AI
in
practice.”
The
associates
will
use
Ropes’
15+
approved
AI
tools.
The
firm
also
plans
to
“collect
analyze
and
disseminate
use
cases
to
enhance
learning,”
say
Ross
and
Rogers.
It’s
a
good
investment
with
little
downside.
On
the
face
of
it,
it
looks
like
Ropes
is
giving
up
a
chunk
of
revenue
from
the
400
hours
that
the
first-year
associates
could
perhaps
bill.
I
say
perhaps
because
that’s
not
necessarily
true.
Let’s
face
it,
first-years
are
not
terribly
profitable.
They
lack
the
experience
to
do
a
whole
lot
substantially.
In
Biglaw,
they
are
highly
paid
but
often
don’t
produce
a
lot
of
revenue.
Nor
are
they
expected
to.
It’s
a
training
period.
Add
to
this
the
fact
that
lots
of
clients
are
simply
unwilling
to
pay
for
work
by
beginning
associates.
So
Ropes’
loss
or
revenue
may
not
be
that
significant
But
the
revenue
analysis
is
not
the
whole
story.
Retaining
associates
these
days
is
an
arms
race.
Keeping
associates
happy
is
important:
a
firm
may
spend
a
year
training
a
first-year
associate
and
not
getting
much
return
only
to
see
them
leave
and
lose
the
investment.
My
guess
is
Ropes’
first-year
associates
will
embrace
this
program,
encouraging
their
long-term
and
short-term
loyalty.
So,
all
in
all,
it’s
a
smart
move
that
will
result
in
AI-first
lawyers
that
are
more
productive
and
happier
in
the
long
run.
And
that
will
inure
to
the
firms’
benefit
long
term.
The
Grace
to
Dabble
As
I
recently
discussed,
mastering
GenAI
simply
requires
taking
the
time
work
with
it,
to
try
and
fail.
It
requires
on
the
job
training
more
than
classroom
instruction.
I
recently
did
a
podcast
interview
of
Thomas
Suh,
a
former
practicing
lawyer
and
founder
of
LegalMation,
an
AI
litigation
tools
provider.
In
his
former
life
as
a
lawyer,
he
helped
build
what
he
called
a
tech-first
law
firm.
He
and
his
partners
did
that
by
giving
themselves
the
grace
to
“dabble”
as
he
put
it.
To
master
tech
by
doing
what
I
just
said:
experimenting,
trying
different
things.
Yes,
it
takes
time.
Yes,
much
of
that
time
can’t
be
billed.
But
the
returns
can
be
significant.
Ropes
has
just
given
its
first
years
the
power
to
dabble
and
learn
how
to
leverage
AI
tools.
I’m
guessing
the
return
will
be
significant.
The
Latham
Program
While
Ropes
focused
on
individual
experimentation,
another
Am
Law
behemoth
took
a
slightly
different
approach.
A
second
AI
training
initiative
that
will
pay
off
long
term
is
that
of
Latham
&
Watkins.
Latham
is
a
Los
Angeles-based
firm
and
even
bigger
than
Ropes.
It
has
over
3,500
attorneys
and
over
25
offices
worldwide.
It
consistently
ranks
near
the
top
of
the
American
Lawyer
Am
Law
revenue
rankings.
Definitely
big,
Biglaw.
According
to
a
recent
article
in
Business
Insider,
Latham
took
the
unusual
step
in
2024
of
bringing
all
400
of
its
first-year
associates
to
Washington,
D.C.,
for
a
mandatory
two-day
AI
Academy.
The
program
focused
on
the
use
of
Harvey
and
Microsoft
Copilot
and
included
outside
speakers.
Latham
repeated
the
program
this
year.
In
addition
to
the
two-day
inaugural
program,
Latham
says
there
are
also
multiple
events
and
training
programs
throughout
the
year
aimed
at
different
groups.
The
program
is
“designed
to
equip
lawyers
to
navigate
the
significant
changes
that
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
will
bring
to
businesses
across
industries
and
around
the
globe,”
according
to
a
Latham
announcement.
Like
Ropes,
Latham
views
AI
as
a
“generational
opportunity”
according
to
one
of
the
Latham
partners
interviewed
for
the
article.
And
like
Ropes,
rather
than
wringing
its
hands
about
what
the
future
will
be
like,
it’s
leaning
in
and
making
an
investment
in
the
future.
No
doubt
those
400
associates
left
the
Academy
emboldened
to
use
the
AI
tools
and
begin
their
experimentation
as
well.
Where
Does
That
Leave
Others?
Two
Biglaw
firms.
Two
similar
approaches.
I
like
the
Ropes
approach
since
it
encourages
experimentation
and
innovation
on
an
ongoing
basis.
I
like
the
Latham
approach
because
it
sets
up
the
guardrails
and
expectations.
But
either
way,
approaches
like
these
will
position
these
firms
for
greater
success
and
help
them
define
what
Suh
would
no
doubt
call
an
AI-first
approach.
Both
firms
seem
to
get
it:
AI
is
going
to
fundamentally
change
the
practice
of
law
Too
many
firms
are
doing
the
opposite:
wringing
their
hands
about
the
future
while
doing
little.
Trying
to
drive
forward
by
looking
in
the
rear-view
mirror.
What
these
two
firms
are
doing
is
a
bit
unusual.
Investing
substantial
time
and
energy
in
non-billable
programs
that
will
aid
the
firms
long
term,
not
just
this
year.
In
an
industry
where
partners
obsess
over
utilization
rates
and
billable
hour
quotas,
these
firms
are
making
a
counterintuitive
bet
that
the
short-term
sacrifice
will
yield
long-term
competitive
advantage.
Deal
With
It
And
you
don’t
have
to
be
an
Am
Law
50
firm
to
take
the
reins.
It
requires
a
commitment
by
firm
leadership
no
matter
what
the
firm
size
to
see
and
plan
for
a
potentially
different
future.
It
requires
a
senior
management
that
itself
is
willing
to
learn.
A
50-lawyer
firm
can’t
bring
400
associates
to
Washington,
but
it
can
dedicate
Friday
afternoons
to
AI
experimentation
or
partner
junior
associates
with
tech-savvy
partners.
Assuming
of
course
that
there
are
partners
willing
to
become
tech
savvy.
Moreover,
in
a
world
where
competition
and
retention
of
quality
associates
becomes
more
difficult
every
day,
firms
that
treat
AI
training
as
optional
professional
development
are
setting
themselves
up
to
lose
talent
to
competitors
who
embrace
it
as
core
competency.
Want
to
compete
with
Ropes
and
Latham
in
years
to
come?
Stop
wondering
if
AI
will
disrupt
the
practice
of
law
and
start
developing
the
talent
to
deal
with
it.
Stephen
Embry
is
a
lawyer,
speaker,
blogger,
and
writer.
He
publishes TechLaw
Crossroads,
a
blog
devoted
to
the
examination
of
the
tension
between
technology,
the
law,
and
the
practice
of
law.