Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Concerns about AI displacing law graduate roles, following developments at MinterEllison, are forcing universities to confront an uncomfortable question: Are they still preparing students for the legal profession of the future?
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in the legal profession – quietly reshaping, automating, and in some cases replacing traditional entry-level legal work – law students and graduates are now confronting an uncomfortable reality: the pathway into the profession they have trained for is shifting beneath their feet faster than many anticipated.
Those concerns have intensified following top-tier firm MinterEllison’s decision to reduce its graduate intake by nearly a third, cutting numbers from 104 to 72 for the 2025–26 cycle, with the firm explicitly linking the reduction to the growing impact of AI on legal practice last month.
While fluctuations in graduate recruitment are not unusual from year to year, it is the reasoning behind this move that has sent a far stronger signal across the sector.
The announcement – and the growing concern that other BigLaw firms may soon follow a similar trajectory – has prompted law graduates to increasingly question what their place in the legal profession will look like, as the reality of an AI-driven legal world becomes impossible to ignore.
In response, universities are increasingly being placed under scrutiny, with growing pressure to demonstrate how they will equip students not only for a rapidly evolving profession, but for one in which they must compete alongside increasingly capable AI systems.
The question is no longer whether legal education needs to adapt, but how quickly it can do so.
What law students need from universities
As law students and graduates begin to recognise that the traditional pathway into legal practice is rapidly changing, they are increasingly calling on universities to take stronger action to provide clearer guidance, greater support, and more consistent preparation for entering an evolving legal workforce.
For Liberty Papas, a recent graduate and law clerk at Divorce Legal, one of the most important forms of support universities can offer is greater transparency around the role academic performance actually plays in shaping legal careers, helping to ease the intense pressure many students place on themselves to achieve top marks.
“I think students would benefit from greater transparency around the role grades actually play in building a legal career,” Papas said.
“Grades do matter, and there is no denying that law students place enormous pressure on themselves academically. I certainly did.
“But I also think students can sometimes leave university believing that grades alone will determine their future opportunities, when in reality they are only one piece of a much bigger picture.”
Another key point she emphasised was the importance of universities actively connecting students with mentors and networking opportunities, underscoring how these relationships can be pivotal – often opening doors they may never have found on their own.
“Students need access to mentors, networking opportunities and honest conversations with practitioners. Confidence comes from proximity,” Papas said.
“Sometimes all it takes is one person believing in you, investing in you and opening a door that you may have not been able to find on your own.”
Reflecting on her degree and the guidance of a mentor throughout her journey, Papas said it played a central role not only in building her confidence but also in shaping her pathway into the profession and helping her navigate the realities and pressures of becoming a lawyer.
“For me, networking and mentorship had an enormous impact on my confidence and ultimately my pathway into the profession. Throughout my degree, I regularly met with my mentor and now employer, Selina Nikoloudakis, for coffee catch-ups,” Papas said.
“Those conversations were never simply about my grades. We spoke about the profession more broadly, building confidence, practical skills, my long-term goals and navigating the realities and pressure that come with practice.”
How universities plan to respond
While it is important for law students and others in the profession to highlight areas in need of change and innovation, it ultimately falls to universities to decide whether they will take meaningful, actionable steps in response to those calls.
Associate Professor Jake Goldenfein from the University of Melbourne Law School stressed that the legal education sector is undergoing a significant transition, describing it as the “million-dollar question” of how universities intend to respond and adapt.
Goldenfein explained that universities have long attempted to preserve the traditional value of legal education, but argued this approach is no longer sustainable, calling for a rethink of what teaching should achieve to ensure students are properly equipped for an AI-driven legal world.
“Universities have been trying to hold on to the old forms of value associated with traditional education – but this is not really sustainable, and there needs to be a rethink about what education and teaching should be achieving to ensure we’re passing on skills with enduring value,” Goldenfein said.
“I’m sure all law schools are working through these complex transformations.”
At Sydney Law School, dean and head of school Professor Fleur Johns revealed that the institution is already adapting its approach to better prepare students for a more complex, technology-driven legal environment.
One of the key areas of focus she revealed is expanding career support and strengthening guidance provided to students as they transition from study to practice.
“At Sydney Law School, we are expanding the range and deepening the reach of career advice that we offer law students,” Johns said.
On top of this, Johns shared that the university is reshaping its curriculum and assessments to ensure graduates combine strong legal foundations with the AI fluency and collaborative skills now expected by employers.
“We are also adapting and supplementing our core curriculum, and reviewing how and what we assess, to ensure that we continue to equip students with first-rate legal knowledge and skills but also equip them to meet changing employer expectations surrounding critical AI fluency and working in teams with mixed expertise,” Johns said.
