Niki Black, Principal Legal Insights Strategist at AffiniPay, elaborates on the transformative impact of generative AI on the legal profession. She asserts that AI’s ability to enhance efficiencies and predict pricing structures will lead to the eventual demise of the billable hour, suggesting that AI’s integration will soon become indispensable in legal practices. According to Niki, sophisticated consumers of legal services like insurance companies and in-house counsels will drive the adoption of AI by expecting faster, more cost-effective solutions. These market pressures, alongside AI’s ability to provide insightful data analysis and predictive analytics, will compel law firms, especially boutique and midsize firms, to adapt or face being outcompeted.
Niki also touches on the ethical implications and potential risks of not adopting AI, likening future generative AI’s indispensability to past shifts like the adoption of cloud computing and social media awareness. She argues that AI will lead to more competitive and client-centered pricing strategies while alleviating some of the negative client experiences associated with hourly billing. Additionally, Niki highlights the emerging trend where AI's capabilities in legal practice management and billing software enable law firms to leverage their internal data for more profitable and efficient operations, emphasizing the rapid pace at which AI is expected to transform legal services.
__________________________
Check out my other show, the Law for Kids Podcast.
Get Connected with SixFifty, a business and employment legal document automation tool.
Sign up for Gavel, an automation platform for law firms.
Visit Law Subscribed to subscribe to the Substack newsletter to get notified about every episode, listen from your web browser, and for additional content.
Follow @lawsubscribed everywhere.
Sign up for the Subscription Seminar waitlist at subscriptionseminar.com.
Check out Mathew Kerbis' law firm Subscription Attorney LLC.
Share this post