Once,
I
found
myself
lost
in
a
maze
of
towering
leather-bound
law
books,
searching
for
a
precedent
that
felt
like
finding
a
needle
in
a
haystack.
Those
were
the
days
of
my
legal
education,
where
every
new
case
felt
like
a
treasure
hunt
in
a
library
from
an
ancient
time.
Fast-forward
to
today,
and
my
legal
research
involves
sleek,
powerful
online
databases
accessible
with
just
a
few
clicks.
This
transition
from
the
tactile
world
of
physical
books
to
the
swift
efficiency
of
digital
tools
was
my
first
encounter
with
the
legal
profession’s
digital
transformation.
As
lawyers
stand
on
the
cusp
of
integrating
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
into
our
practices,
I
reflect
on
this
journey,
drawing
lessons
from
the
past
to
prepare
us
for
the
future.
Here’s
what
that
pivotal
shift
from
leather-bound
volumes
to
digital
databases
has
taught
us
about
embracing
the
next
frontier
in
legal
technology.
Digital
Transformation
Takes
Time;
It
Is
A
Process,
Not
An
Event
The
move
from
traditional
law
libraries
to
digital
databases
didn’t
happen
overnight.
It
was
a
gradual
process
that
allowed
us
to
adapt,
learn,
and
eventually
embrace
the
new
tools
that
now
define
our
daily
routines.
Similarly,
the
integration
of
AI
into
legal
practice
is
unfolding
step
by
step.
This
should
reassure
anyone
worried
about
having
to
adapt
overnight.
Just
as
it
took
time
to
transition
from
books
to
bytes,
the
journey
to
AI
integration
is
a
path,
not
a
plunge.
There
Is
Plenty
Of
Time
For
You
Not
To
Miss
The
Boat
One
of
the
most
common
anxieties
I
hear
from
lawyers
is
the
fear
of
falling
behind
or
“missing
the
boat”
on
AI.
The
digital
transformation
of
the
past
teaches
us
that
while
technology
evolves,
it
also
waits
for
its
users
to
catch
up.
Educational
programs,
seminars,
and
workshops
will
emerge
to
bridge
the
gap.
Just
as
law
schools
and
firms
provided
training
on
digital
research
tools,
they
will
adapt
curricula
and
professional
development
programs
to
include
AI
literacy.
There’s
a
ramp,
not
just
a
cliff,
to
the
future
of
law.
No
One
Will
Miss
The
‘Good
Old
Days’
I
have
yet
to
meet
a
lawyer
nostalgic
for
the
days
of
manually
updating
law
reports
or
sifting
through
stacks
of
books
for
a
single
precedent.
The
convenience,
speed,
and
breadth
of
digital
research
tools
have
made
the
practice
of
law
more
efficient
and
effective.
As
we
move
further
into
the
AI
era,
the
enhancements
in
predictive
analytics,
document
automation,
and
legal
research
will
make
the
“good
old
days”
of
even
the
early
digital
age
seem
quaint.
The
efficiencies
and
capabilities
AI
brings
to
the
table
are
likely
to
become
just
as
indispensable
as
online
databases
are
today.
Learning
New
Tools
And
Tech
Is
A
Must;
You
Can’t
Avoid
It
The
legal
profession
has
never
been
static,
and
its
tools
have
always
evolved
—
from
quill
and
parchment
to
typewriters
and
from
books
to
databases.
Each
shift
required
lawyers
to
learn
and
adapt,
and
those
who
did
so
thrived.
Embracing
AI
is
no
different.
The
future
of
law
will
belong
to
those
willing
to
invest
time
to
understand
and
master
new
technologies.
Continuing
legal
education
will
increasingly
include
tech
components,
reflecting
the
indispensable
role
of
technology
in
modern
legal
practice.
The
Way
We
‘Law’
Will
Change
For
The
Better
The
ultimate
goal
of
integrating
AI
into
legal
practice
isn’t
just
to
replace
old
methods
with
new
ones;
it’s
to
enhance
our
ability
to
serve
justice,
increase
access
to
legal
services,
and
improve
the
quality
of
our
work.
AI
promises
to
automate
mundane
tasks,
predict
legal
outcomes
with
greater
accuracy,
and
unearth
insights
from
vast
data.
These
advancements
will
free
us
to
focus
more
on
the
nuanced,
human
aspects
of
law
—
strategy,
empathy,
and
ethical
judgment.
The
journey
from
the
days
of
leather-bound
law
books
to
the
digital
age
—
and
now
toward
an
AI-driven
future
—
offers
valuable
lessons
for
embracing
change.
It
reminds
us
that
adaptation
is
a
gradual
process,
that
there’s
time
to
learn
and
grow,
and
that
the
essence
of
our
profession
isn’t
in
the
tools
we
use
but
in
the
service
we
provide.
As
we
stand
on
the
brink
of
this
new
era,
let’s
move
forward
with
confidence,
curiosity,
and
open
minds,
ready
to
harness
the
potential
of
AI
to
enrich
the
practice
of
law.
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.
