Embrace The Future: How In-House Legal Professionals Can Thrive By Partnering With AI

I’ve been fortunate to witness and be a part of many technological revolutions throughout my career. From the dawn of the internet to the explosion of blockchain, each wave of innovation has had the power to propel careers forward. Now, we stand on the brink of another transformative wave: artificial intelligence (AI). For in-house legal professionals, AI isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a powerful tool that can enhance our work, improve efficiency, and drive strategic value for our organizations.

In my recent TEDx talk, “Why We Need to Evolve Alongside AI,” I explored the profound impact AI can have on our professional lives. To navigate this evolving landscape, I introduced a high-level TRACE framework — Technological Proficiency, Responsible Engagement, Adaptable Mindset, Creative Problem-Solving, and Emotional Intelligence.

Here, I’ll break down each step with practical tips tailored specifically for corporate legal departments on how to integrate AI into their workflows.

Technological Proficiency: Mastering The Tools

The first step is to build technological proficiency. As legal professionals, we must become adept at using AI tools to stay relevant and effective in our roles.

Practical Tips:

1. Continuous Learning Programs: Develop and mandate AI training programs for your legal team. Partner with AI technology providers to offer hands-on workshops and certification courses.
2. Pilot AI Tools: Implement AI tools on a small scale to handle specific tasks such as document review, contract analysis, and e-discovery. Evaluate their performance and scalability before broader deployment.

Responsible Engagement: Ethical And Thoughtful AI Use

Engaging responsibly with AI means understanding its ethical implications and ensuring its use aligns with our professional standards.

Practical Tips:

1. Develop AI Usage Policies: Create clear policies that define acceptable AI use in your legal department. Include guidelines on data privacy, bias mitigation, and transparency.
2. Regular Audits And Assessments: Establish a schedule for regular audits of AI systems to ensure compliance with ethical standards and regulatory requirements.

Adaptable Mindset: Embracing Change

Change can be daunting, but adapting to new tools and methodologies is crucial for staying competitive. Embrace the shift and be open to evolving your traditional workflows.

Practical Tips:

1. Change Management Strategy: Develop a change management strategy that includes communication plans, training sessions, and support systems to help your team adapt to AI integration.
2. Encourage Flexibility: Foster an adaptable mindset within your team by promoting flexibility and a willingness to embrace new technologies. Highlight success stories and benefits to build enthusiasm.

Creative Problem-Solving: Leveraging AI For Innovation

AI can significantly enhance our ability to solve problems creatively. By leveraging AI, we can find innovative solutions to complex legal challenges.

Practical Tips:

1. AI-Driven Brainstorming Sessions: Use AI tools to facilitate brainstorming sessions. For example, employ AI to analyze large datasets quickly, providing insights that can lead to innovative legal strategies.
2. Benchmarking And Case Studies: Study successful AI implementations in other corporate legal departments. Use these case studies to inspire creative applications in your own department.

Emotional Intelligence: Balancing Technology With Humanity

While AI can handle many tasks, emotional intelligence remains a uniquely human trait that is essential in the legal profession.

Practical Tips:

1. Enhance Client Relations: Use AI to automate routine tasks such as document drafting and research, freeing up time for your team to focus on building stronger, more empathetic client relationships.
2. Improve Team Dynamics: Implement AI tools to manage administrative tasks, allowing your legal team to engage in more meaningful and intellectually stimulating work. Encourage regular team meetings to discuss how AI can further support their roles.

Integrating AI into your corporate legal practice is not just about keeping up with technology — it’s about future-proofing your career and your organization. By following the TRACE framework, you can build a solid foundation of technological proficiency, engage responsibly, maintain an adaptable mindset, solve problems creatively, and balance technology with emotional intelligence.

Embracing AI will not only enhance your efficiency but also open up new avenues for strategic contribution and professional growth. As someone who has seen firsthand the transformative power of technology, I can assure you that partnering with AI is a journey worth embarking on.

Let’s embrace this revolution and propel our careers to new heights together.

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Olga V. Mack is a Fellow at CodeX, The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, and a Generative AI Editor at law.MIT. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat, Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security, and  Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities. She is working on three books: Visual IQ for Lawyers (ABA 2024), The Rise of Product Lawyers: An Analytical Framework to Systematically Advise Your Clients Throughout the Product Lifecycle (Globe Law and Business 2024), and Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data (Globe Law and Business 2024). You can follow Olga on LinkedIn and Twitter @olgavmack.