AI and the Future of Legal Careers: Where Will Tomorrow’s Legal Leaders Come From?

AI is transforming the legal profession, but what happens to the next generation of solicitors and partners when technology takes over traditional training work? We explore the hidden talent gap and what law firms and in-house teams can do about it.

AI in the Legal Profession: The Conversation Everyone’s Having

Across LinkedIn and legal media, debate around AI in the legal profession is louder than ever. From contract analysis to document drafting, artificial intelligence is reshaping workflows and redefining what it means to “do the work” of a lawyer.

But amidst the excitement, one vital question isn’t being discussed enough:

If AI takes over large parts of the traditional workload, how will future solicitors, partners and legal leaders gain the experience they require to become the subject matter experts of the future?

The Changing Landscape: AI and the Impact on Law Firms

The integration of AI into law firms is accelerating rapidly. Recent research from Thomson Reuters (2025) found:

• 77% of legal professionals use AI for document review.

• 74% rely on it for legal research.

• 59% already deploy it for legal drafting.

Channel 4’s recent televised experiment, pitting an AI tool against a trainee solicitor in a legal drafting challenge (Legal Cheek, October 2025) certainly captured public attention, highlighting how capable AI has become at performing junior-level legal tasks.

The result is clear: much of the “learning-by-doing” work that shaped generations of lawyers is now being replaced by technology.

The Hidden Risk: A Gap in the Legal Leadership Pipeline

While most commentary celebrates efficiency, there’s a long-term talent risk that law firms and in-house teams must now confront.

Traditionally, junior lawyers, built expertise by doing the drafting, negotiating, managing client expectations, and dealing with complex, imperfect scenarios. These formative experiences developed judgement, commercial awareness, and confidence.

As AI absorbs that foundational work, how will future lawyers gain these essential skills?

A recent piece from the Federalist Society summarised this concern:

“How is the next generation of senior lawyers to be trained if the work that has traditionally been used to train them is now performed by a machine?”

If we’re not careful, today’s firms could face a future leadership vacuum, where lawyers are highly proficient at using legal tech, but less equipped to lead, advise, and inspire.

Why It Matters for UK Law Firms and In-House Teams

This challenge is especially relevant for the UK legal market, where firms are under pressure to increase efficiency and profitability while retaining excellence.

Without a conscious strategy, automation could narrow the “base of the pyramid” meaning fewer junior roles and less experiential learning.

As one managing partner recently noted: “Clients worry that if the base of the pyramid shrinks, they lose the talent pool they rely on for future hires.”

For firms and in-house legal departments, the impact of AI on training, supervision, and succession planning could be profound.

Future-Proofing Legal Careers: Building Skills AI Can’t Replace

There’s good news, with foresight, both firms and lawyers can turn this challenge into an opportunity.

For Lawyers and Aspiring Partners

• Own your development: Seek exposure to client relationships, strategy, and judgment-driven work, so the areas AI can’t replace.

• Embrace legal technology: Understand how AI tools work, their limitations, and ethical boundaries.

• Focus on leadership and business acumen: Future legal leaders will need to combine human insight with technological fluency.

For Law Firms and In-House Teams

• Reimagine training: Create alternative ways for junior lawyers to develop experience — secondments, mentoring, AI-supervision roles, and rotational exposure.

• Preserve learning opportunities: Ensure that AI adoption doesn’t eliminate the essential “training ground” for developing judgment.

• Strategic workforce planning: The impact of AI on law firms extends beyond productivity — it affects long-term talent strategy and client relationships.

AI and the Future of Legal Careers: A Paradox and an Opportunity

AI will save thousands of hours of manual work, freeing lawyers to focus on higher-value advice. But it could also unintentionally erode the training ecosystem that produces those experts.

The firms that thrive will be those that blend AI efficiency with human leadership development. Likewise, the lawyers who succeed will be those who master both technology and the timeless skills of judgment, empathy, and commercial understanding.

Final Thought: Shaping the Next Generation of Legal Leaders

At Inglis Legal Recruitment, we believe innovation and human potential must evolve together. AI is here to stay, however the essence of great lawyering remains human.

For law firms, this means rethinking how you build and retain future partners.For ambitious solicitors, it means actively shaping your experience to ensure AI works for you, not instead of you.

If you’d like to explore how these trends affect your career or your team’s talent strategy, we’d be delighted to have a conversation.