Two AmLaw 100 firms are doing something unusual: sacrificing billable hours to train associates in AI.
Ropes & Gray lets first-years spend up to 400 hours (20% of their requirement) on AI training. Latham & Watkins flew 400 associates to DC for a two-day AI Academy.
The revenue hit? Probably minimal. First-years aren’t profit centers anyway, and clients often won’t pay for junior associate time.
The learning boost? Likely significant.
As Thomas Suh from LegalMation told me: mastering AI requires giving lawyers the “grace to dabble” , time to experiment and fail without billing pressure.
Most firms are still wringing their hands about AI’s impact. Smart firms are training lawyers to leverage it.
Here’s my post for Above the Law.