The last 20 per cent
Corporate and capital markets lawyer Robson Lee shares his views on how AI and technology advancements are changing norms in the legal...
Robson Lee, a corporate and capital markets lawyer with 32 years of experience, discusses the impact of AI and technological advancements on the legal profession. He highlights how AI has begun to handle tasks previously performed by junior lawyers, including first-cut legal documentation, due diligence, compliance checks, and background searches.
These tasks are now completed faster, more thoroughly, and without the hourly billing that was previously standard. Clients are now better informed even before meeting with a lawyer, as a quick AI search brings up relevant laws and regulations.
Lee emphasizes that the lawyer-client relationship has shifted due to these technological changes. Lawyers who adapt and embrace technology will thrive in the new ecosystem, while those who do not risk being marginalized or made redundant. He states that AI does not merely speed up the process but also compiles and segments documents seamlessly with a high degree of accuracy and completeness - a new territory that was previously not possible.
Lee acknowledges that AI can perform tasks that once took legal teams weeks in just a fraction of the time. For example, a clause that once took 30 minutes to draft now takes just five minutes. While AI can handle 60-80% of the work, there remains a critical 20% that requires human experience, judgment, and personal interaction.
This remaining portion involves understanding clients' unique circumstances, nuances, and specific needs, which AI cannot replicate. An example provided is a case involving a client from China who inadvertently violated airport security laws due to a lack of understanding and language barriers. Only through human interaction could the lawyer provide tailored advice and navigate the situation successfully.
A serious risk associated with AI-generated content is the potential for courts to accept cases based on nonexistent precedents. AI can generate grammatically perfect and well-structured content, but this raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the generated information. Lee underscores the importance of human judgment in vetting AI-generated content to ensure its validity and the proper application of the law.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
