Recently,
I
encouraged
a
startup
CEO
to
have
his
developers
use
Claude
Code.
I
shared
how
another
founder
created
a
compelling
new
product.
He
architected
it
and
built
it
himself
with
zero
developers.
I
also
shared
how
a
large
company
fixed
an
important
script
that
had
been
unreliable
for
years.
It
took
12
hours
to
run
if
it
worked
at
all.
Within
two
weeks,
the
issues
were
diagnosed
and
fixed.
The
script
now
runs
reliably
and
is
100
times
faster. In
both
cases,
Claude
Code
was
the
transformational
superpower.
The
CEO
wasn’t
convinced.
His
concern
wasn’t
the
technology;
it
was
his
developers.
He
thought
they’d
see
it
as
a
threat,
so
I
expanded
the
metaphor.
Lightsabers
And
Killer
Robots
People
often
think
of
AI
in
one
of
two
ways. Using
science
fiction,
the
first
is
AI
as
a
lightsaber,
offering
an
unfair
advantage
in
a
sword
fight.
You
pick
it
up,
swing
it
around,
and
suddenly
you’re
more
powerful.
The
second
is
the
killer
robot,
where
the
machine
is
the
adversary,
something
that
replaces
you.
Developers
who
see
the
power
of
Claude
Code
may
view
it
as
a
threat.
But
this
applies
to
lawyers,
too. Swing
the
lightsaber,
and
you
draft
a
memo
faster
or
write
a
better
brief.
But
with
Agentic
AI
and
Claude
Code,
AI
is
becoming
more
powerful.
Lawyers
may
view
these
advancements
as
the
killer
robot,
too.
Iron
Man
A
third
view
is
the
Marvel
comic-book
hero
Iron
Man.
Tony
Stark
builds
a
suit
that
gives
him
superpowers,
turning
him
into
a
superhero.
For
developers,
Claude
Code
should
be
an
extension
of
themselves,
making
them
super
developers. When
embraced,
developers
are
empowered
to
become
architects,
more
like
a
CTO.
They
consider
design
alternatives
and
develop
various
blueprints
for
a
system.
They
settle
on
a
specific
design,
define
the
components
and
their
interactions,
develop
test
plans,
and
ultimately
direct
the
coding
and
QA. For
the
developer
who
wants
to
become
a
CTO,
AI
enables
this
by
orchestrating
agents
and
virtual
developers.
It’s
a
shift
in
mindset,
and
it
should
apply
to
lawyers,
too.
Lawyers
Need
To
Shift
Their
Mindset
Right
now,
many
legal
AI
use
cases
look
like
the
lightsaber
model.
Ask
for
a
draft.
Refine
it.
Maybe
save
some
time.
That’s
useful,
but
it’s
not
transformative.
The
real
opportunity
is
to
move
from
doing
to
architecting
and
orchestrating
the
work.
This
is
similar
to
the
developer
and
Claude
Code.
For
lawyers
to
think
like
Tony
Stark,
they
build
skills
and
immerse
themselves
in
AI,
including
agents
and
even
Claude
Code.
Those
lawyers
who
take
the
time
can
develop
superhero
powers
and
set
themselves
apart.
They
will
be
able
to
serve
as
master
legal
architects,
evaluating
more
options,
and
then
orchestrate
and
direct
more
work.
Larger
firms
with
greater
scale
will
also
build
or
buy
tools
to
equip
their
lawyers.
An
“Iron
Man”
lawyer
doesn’t
use
AI
as
a
shortcut.
They
map
the
problem
and
work
through
it
systematically
to
create
deliverables
and
advice.
The
lawyer
isn’t
just
drafting
using
AI,
they’re
orchestrating.
The
Suit
Was
Never
The
Superpower
The
Iron
Man
lawyer
remains
the
human
in
the
loop,
orchestrating
larger-than-life
actions.
Tony
Stark
didn’t
become
powerful
because
he
found
a
metal
suit.
In
the
Iron
Man
origin
story,
he
becomes
powerful
by
creating
and
embracing
the
Iron
Man
suit.
It
took
time
and
practice
to
master.
In
the
same
way,
lawyers
must
take
the
time
to
learn
and
adapt.
This
journey
won’t
happen
overnight. It
may
not
be
easy.
How
many
lawyers
went
to
law
school
to
leverage
AI?
Some
will
see
the
true
potential
of
the
superpowers
and
strive
to
achieve
10
times
the
output
of
the
average
lawyer. Zack
Shapiro
went
viral
earlier
this
month
with
his
essay
on
the
Claude
Native
Law
Firm,
highlighting
the
power
of
Claude’s
CoWork
and
Claude
Code
to
drive
“10X”
productivity
improvement.
Not
Every
Lawyer
Is
Equally
Exposed
Let’s
address
the
obvious
objection.
Not
all
lawyers
will
be
affected
in
the
same
way,
but
that’s
no
reason
to
ignore
the
shift. At
the
top
of
the
pyramid,
partners
whose
value
comes
from
relationships,
judgment,
and
access
are
not
going
away
tomorrow.
Their
leverage
is
built
on
trust
and
networks.
It’s
the
middle
and
lower
parts
of
the
pyramid
where
AI
will
have
the
greatest
impact.
Ironheart
And
The
Next
Generation
The
biggest
winners
may
be
those
early
in
their
careers
who
learn
to
operate
differently.
Marvel
introduced
a
female
superhero,
Ironheart,
and
the
character
Riri
Williams.
She
is
a
more
resourceful,
contemporary
version
of
Tony
Stark. Riri
had
the
proper
mindset
at
a
young
age,
and
so
do
new
lawyers
building
practices.
New
lawyers,
small
firms,
and
even
solo
practitioners
now
have
access
to
more
capabilities
previously
reserved
for
large
organizations.
What
This
Looks
Like
In
Practice
AI
expands
how
quickly
a
lawyer
can
interrogate
a
legal
issue.
It
accelerates
the
process.
For
a
litigation
team
analyzing
a
motion
to
dismiss,
the
traditional
workflow
includes
loops
of
research,
drafting,
and
revisions
circulated
before
a
response
is
filed.
Now,
imagine
an
Iron
Man
or
Ironheart
approach.
Instead
of
asking
AI
for
a
response,
the
lawyer(s)
orchestrate
the
process,
first
asking
for
the
universe
of
legal
arguments.
They
direct
the
creation
of
counterarguments
that
might
be
raised.
They
stress
test
the
reasoning
and
explore
how
similar
arguments
have
succeeded
or
failed.
Language
will
be
informed
by
logic
and
what
may
appeal
emotionally
to
the
judge. Lawyers
still
exercise
judgment,
oversee
each
step,
and
verify
the
work.
The
role
doesn’t
disappear;
it
gets
more
powerful.
Conclusion
With
Claude
Code,
developers
will
find
they
must
shift
their
mindset
and
embrace
what
they
may
see
as
a
threat.
For
lawyers,
the
lesson
will
apply
too.
Shift
your
mindset
and
begin
to
embrace
the
full
potential
of
AI. Don’t
use
AI
for
shortcuts
and
answers. Wear
it,
own
it,
and
direct
it.
The
difference
may
turn
out
to
be
the
real
competitive
advantage
in
the
legal
profession
over
the
next
decade.
The
lawyers
who
treat
AI
like
a
shortcut
will
produce
work
faster.
The
lawyers
who
treat
it
as
a
system
for
directing,
refining,
and
integrating
it
into
their
practice
will
produce
better
outcomes.
That
difference
will
help
define
the
next
decade
of
the
legal
profession.
The
real
risk
isn’t
that
AI
replaces
you,
it’s
that
other
lawyers
wear
the
suit
before
you.
Ed.
note:
Iron
Man
and
Ironheart
are
part
of
the
Marvel
Comics
universe.
AI
was
used
in
this
article.
Ken
Crutchfield
has
over
40
years
of
experience
in
legal,
tax,
and
other
industries.
Throughout
his
career,
he
has
focused
on
growth,
innovation,
and
business
transformation. His
consulting
practice
advises
investors,
legal
tech
startups
and
others.
As
a
strategic
thinker
who
understands
markets
and
creating
products
to
meet
customer
needs,
he
has
worked
in
start-ups
and
large
enterprises.
He
has
served
in
General
Management
capacities
in
six
businesses.
Ken
has
a
pulse
on
the
trends
affecting
the
market.
Whether
it
was
the
Internet
in
the
1980s
or
Generative
AI,
he
understands
technology
and
how
it
can
impact
business.
Crutchfield
started
his
career
as
an
intern
with
LexisNexis
and
has
worked
at
Thomson
Reuters,
Bloomberg,
Dun
&
Bradstreet,
and
Wolters
Kluwer.
Ken
has
an
MBA
and
holds
a
B.S.
in
Electrical
Engineering
from
The
Ohio
State
University.