Jul 7, 2026 · 29 min · 9 segments
Send us Fan Mail What happens when a machine built to predict the next plausible word starts drafting the arguments lawyers put before a judge?…
Stephen ThieleHost
And, you know, a, you know, three lawyers basically walk into a propeller because the junior lawyer on the file is basically having a chat with artificial intelligence to answer a legal question and gets it wrong.
So what we've got is, I guess, you know, we can get into the specifics, but it was an insolvency case as I understand it.
You get, you know, you'll get in a law firm, you get a technical point, you oftentimes will go to the junior lawyers in the firm and say, you know, I need some research on this or that or the other thing.
Um, and they come back with a memo or what have you, and they've given you what the law is.
And, you know, and quite frankly, it's not uncommon, particularly in larger firms, but that's, it percolates up the food chain.
Um, the senior person's name ends up on the brief or on the letter or what have you.
Are you sure you got that right? If you did that, I mean, what do you need juniors for? So the whole point of having a law firm and an apparatus in the firm is in order that you have that ability to generate that kind of work.
Because if you have to do all the work yourself... everyone would be a soil practitioner.
No, but it's, well, Gavin, just on that point, I mean, if I think back to my days as an articling student 37 years ago, You know, the senior lawyer did take the time to actually sit down with you and go over your work.
And I think what has begun to happen in this evolution of law is that we are working at almost lightning speed on files.
And so people aren't doing what would have happened in a very, very traditional practice 40 years ago.
And worse, you know, this case really shows something in terms of standard practice didn't inform anybody up the chain as to what was happening at the bottom end of the chain.
And, you know, a, you know, three lawyers basically walk into a propeller because the junior lawyer on the file is basically having a chat with artificial intelligence to answer a legal question and gets it wrong.
So what we've got is, I guess, you know, we can get into the specifics, but it was an insolvency case as I understand it.
You get, you know, you'll get in a law firm, you get a technical point, you oftentimes will go to the junior lawyers in the firm and say, you know, I need some research on this or that or the other thing.
Um, and they come back with a memo or what have you, and they've given you what the law is.
And, you know, and quite frankly, it's not uncommon, particularly in larger firms, but that's, it percolates up the food chain.
Um, the senior person's name ends up on the brief or on the letter or what have you.
Are you sure you got that right? If you did that, I mean, what do you need juniors for? So the whole point of having a law firm and an apparatus in the firm is in order that you have that ability to generate that kind of work.
Because if you have to do all the work yourself... everyone would be a soil practitioner.
No, but it's, well, Gavin, just on that point, I mean, if I think back to my days as an articling student 37 years ago, You know, the senior lawyer did take the time to actually sit down with you and go over your work.
And I think what has begun to happen in this evolution of law is that we are working at almost lightning speed on files.
And so people aren't doing what would have happened in a very, very traditional practice 40 years ago.
And worse, you know, this case really shows something in terms of standard practice didn't inform anybody up the chain as to what was happening at the bottom end of the chain.
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