AI speeds up lawyers' work, but changes how young professionals must be trained
Artificial intelligence sharply shortens contract review in legal practice, yet it raises the question of how future lawyers will develop independent judgment. The author argues AI use should be taught during law studies and that junior staff must keep chances to learn from experience.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining ground in Latvian companies, and it is also affecting legal work and the preparation of future specialists. In an opinion piece published by the Latvian business daily Dienas Bizness, a lawyer concludes that the technology saves time but demands the ability to assess its proposed solutions independently.
What the statistics show
According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, last year at least one AI solution was used by 12.2% of Latvian companies with ten or more employees, which is 3.4% more than a year earlier. Among companies that had considered using AI but had not yet adopted it, 63.2% named a lack of suitable skills as an obstacle.
How AI helps lawyers
In legal work, AI is used for document analysis, translation, drafting summaries and wording, and producing an initial draft document. In international deals, quick processing of information in several languages is useful when an officially certified translation is not required. The technology also helps compare different contract terms.
In the author's practice, reviewing a large contract that once took several days can now be done in one or two days, including checking and commenting. The saved time can go to the most important terms: the allocation of duties and risks, how obligations will be fulfilled, and how the contract will work if the deal departs from the original plan. A lawyer still needs to understand the parties' interests and be able to justify the client's position.
Skills and training
A 2026 PwC study analysed 2.4 million entry-level job postings in the United States. In occupations that AI can significantly affect, skills typical of experienced specialists, such as independent judgment and management skills, were requested seven times more often than in occupations less affected by AI.
The author believes law studies should include practical tasks, such as mock cases in which students develop solutions with AI, check them against legal norms and justify their choices. She also mentions ECLI.ai, a specialised tool used to find relevant court rulings.
In her view, the main challenge will be preserving junior employees' chance to learn, including by making mistakes, and to receive feedback from experienced colleagues if simpler tasks are automated.
