Extract from Marcie Shunk’s article “The Human Factor: Why AI Adoption Requires a People-First Approach”
AI is often framed as the future of legal workâbut its transformative potential depends on more than algorithms.
At a recent COLPM webinar, Leadership in Flux-Navigating Talent, Technology, and Culture in BigLaw, nearly seven in 10 attendees predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) would significantly transform the legal industry within the next one to two years, with the majority suggesting that transformation is already underway. That optimism is echoed in Thomson Reuters’ 2025 Future of Professionals, where 44% of legal leaders rated AI as transformational and another 36% as highly impactful.
Yet, 30% of legal professionals acknowledge they are moving too slowly. Why the lag? Though concerns remain about hallucinations and inaccurate citations, it is not tools or technology holding firms backâit is leadership.
As law firms race to modernize, the differentiator won’t be access to AI, but how leadership guides its adoption. A new era demands a human-driven approach: one that can articulate vision, lead through change, reshape culture and reengage people. Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace underscores the urgencyâonly half of global employees clearly understand what is expected of them at work. Without strong leadership, even the most powerful tools risk confusion, disengagement and missed opportunity.
Five leadership tactics will determine whether AI becomes a force for innovationâor inertiaâin the legal profession.
