As generative AI increasingly takes on routine assignments such as drafting research memos, conducting document review, and handling other routine assignments, the legal and accounting professions are facing growing concerns about its impact on traditional training models. While AI is proving to be a useful tool, many industry leaders are questioning how early-career professionals will develop foundational skills if they no longer learn through this work.
McCarter & English partner Peter Zarella spoke with the Hartford Business Journal and said that law firms may need to become more deliberate about talent development, investing in young lawyers and even when AI can perform some work more efficiently and at a lower cost. “There might be periods of time where they are not going to be able to produce the same ROI, the same volume of billable work that they might have been able to in years and generations past,” he said.