AI didn't sink Weil. It could prevent the next Big Law failure.

This story examines the recent collapse of Weil Gotshal, a prominent law firm, and explores whether artificial intelligence (AI) played a role in its downfall or could help prevent future failures in big law firms. Despite the firm's long history, Weil struggled to retain its star partners amid a highly competitive lateral hiring market.

Instead of blaming AI, experts argue that the firm's implosion exposed underlying vulnerabilities common to large law firms. Eric Greenberg, general counsel of Cox Media Group, contends that lateral churn has always made these firms susceptible, but the current market conditions exacerbate the issue. David Wang, Cooley's chief innovation officer, stresses that big law's success hinges on relationships, and when a star partner departs, the firm loses more than just revenue – it loses years of institutional knowledge.

Avi Gesser, a Debevoise partner leading their AI practice, sees AI as a potential "tourniquet" for firms, helping them capture departing lawyers' expertise and mitigate the financial impact. However, Sharon Crane, president of the Practising Law Institute, questions whether lawyers will willingly share their hard-earned knowledge with firms if they can take it with them.

Partner agreements may need to be revised to accommodate this reality, and clients might even stake a claim to the knowledge that departs with a partner. Michael Gerstenzang, a senior partner at Cleary Gottlieb, offers a provocative vision: AI could render large firms less indispensable by allowing top lawyers to handle specialized tasks independently.

This could create a paradox where AI makes it harder for lawyers to leave while also making it easier for them to walk away, fundamentally altering the power dynamics in the legal industry.