Junior associates powered the engines of Biglaw. Just like the human batteries of the Matrix besides as a substitute of the deluded bliss of the late twentieth century, they survive on the deluded bliss of ever having the time to spend their bonus on one thing enjoyable. They slogged by doc overview, churned out first drafts, and in any other case served on the beck and name of their senior colleagues whereas drowning underneath the crushing weight of scholar loans.
Whereas synthetic intelligence generates a variety of hype as a risk to junior associates, AI nonetheless requires a junior person. Corporations could not want as many juniors on this planet of AI, however a few of these jobs will survive the AI onslaught. Various authorized companies suppliers (ALSPs), alternatively, might be part of forces with AI and decimate the junior ranks.
The phrase “decimate” is usually misused, however on this case we imply it actually… AI will someday ship centurions to publicly execute each tenth affiliate to implement the self-discipline of Rome. All proper, possibly not actually and realistically it’s going to be extra much more than 10 p.c.
ALSPs are more and more taking over the grunt work that was the proving floor for brand new attorneys. In keeping with the Various Authorized Companies Suppliers 2025 Report — produced by the Thomson Reuters Institute, the Heart on Ethics and the Authorized Occupation at Georgetown Regulation; and the Saïd Enterprise College, College of Oxford — 35 p.c of legislation companies already use unbiased ALSPs to ship companies to shoppers, with utilization anticipated to extend within the subsequent yr. Amongst companies with their very own affiliate ALSPs, a exceptional 62% additionally have interaction unbiased ALSPs to deal with duties like eDiscovery, contract overview, and compliance work.
The report estimates the ALSP market reached $28.5 billion in 2023, rising at an 18 p.c compound annual price, outpacing conventional authorized companies. Whereas ALSPs have all the time provided company legislation departments a cheap resolution for high-volume work, these shoppers have more and more overcome their hangups as junior affiliate charges climb. Past the these duties, ALSPs are additionally penetrating area of interest areas like regulatory compliance and tech-enabled authorized operations, markets that legislation companies are likely to neglect.
For junior associates, this development strips away among the foundational work traditionally relied upon to develop skilled abilities. This outsourcing is nice for shoppers wanting to economize and enhance effectivity, but it surely deprives new attorneys of the chance to develop experience in these areas. And whereas few tears are shed over combing by irrelevant emails, there’s one thing to be stated for studying why one thing is irrelevant.
And let’s not overlook the enjoyment of piecing collectively an workplace affair from the e-mail dump—one of many final perks of doc overview.
Junior associates additionally used to create authorized content material from scratch earlier than an avalanche of crimson ink created an unrecognizable ultimate draft. However with AI and ALSPs delivering polished drafts, juniors spend extra time enhancing than analyzing. That’s all nicely and good till you keep in mind that they don’t really know what makes draft within the first place. And it’ll solely worsen because the report discovered that 40% of companies anticipate growing their use of unbiased ALSPs particularly as a result of it’s “extra worthwhile to outsource” such work.
It’s not that ALSPs really outperform junior associates. Actually, the report highlights lingering issues about ALSP high quality and confidentiality, with half of company respondents citing these as boundaries to full adoption. But the worth hole between ALSPs and legislation agency associates has made the choice a straightforward one for a lot of company legislation departments.
Purchasers may even see ALSPs as a price play slightly than a talent play, there’s one thing to be stated for the truth that ALSPs are staffed with people with expertise — the expertise that the juniors used to get on the job. For duties like doc overview and due diligence, the place the stakes are low however the quantity is excessive, ALSPs provide effectivity that almost all legislation companies merely can not match. Quantity work is their bread and butter.
Which is the place the AI is available in. Whereas generative AI stays in its infancy throughout the authorized sector, 45 p.c of legislation companies are at the least exploring the event of GenAI-powered companies… however ALSPs already prepared the ground in adoption.
The report paints a sobering image for the way forward for authorized apprenticeship. If companies and ALSPs proceed down their present paths, junior associates could discover themselves doing much less authorized evaluation and extra mission administration, overseeing the work of ALSPs and AI instruments. Whereas this may make for extra environment friendly companies, it dangers making a era of attorneys as center managers lack hands-on authorized abilities wanted to progress to extra historically senior duties.
This shift additionally has implications for consumer service. Company shoppers could admire the fast value financial savings ALSPs and GenAI ship, however will they nonetheless worth these financial savings if they arrive at the price of eroding the subsequent era of authorized expertise? Purchasers have lengthy complained about paying for the coaching pipeline, however because the report notes, shoppers already cite high quality as a major concern when coping with ALSPs and “lower the standard throughout the board” is a lower than environment friendly resolution.
Or possibly the way forward for legislation is bland center administration. When Elon makes Trump flip over the judiciary to the robots, possibly we received’t want attorneys to suppose creatively or persuasively. Simply ones who can click on “approve” on a machine’s work.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Regulation and co-host of Considering Like A Lawyer. Be happy to electronic mail any ideas, questions, or feedback. Comply with him on Twitter or Bluesky if you happen to’re involved in legislation, politics, and a wholesome dose of school sports activities information. Joe additionally serves as a Managing Director at RPN Govt Search.
