Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
As concerns grow that AI will wipe out entry-level legal jobs, Adrian Cartland is pushing back against the doom-and-gloom predictions, arguing that the technology is creating opportunities for junior lawyers rather than eliminating them.
Fears that artificial intelligence will wipe out entry-level legal jobs have become one of the legal profession’s defining debates, with many warning that widespread job losses are inevitable.
But Adelaide tax lawyer Adrian Cartland believes the profession has the narrative all wrong, arguing that, when implemented strategically, AI has the potential to create – not eliminate – opportunities for junior lawyers.
As predictions of an AI-driven “white-collar wipeout” continue to gather momentum and fuel anxiety across the profession, Cartland argues the conversation has become fixated on the prospect of disappearing jobs, rather than the opportunities AI presents for firms prepared to rethink how legal services are delivered.
Reflecting on his own firm’s experience, Cartland said embracing AI has helped transform Cartland Law from a five-person practice into a team of 23, including the recruitment of six junior and student lawyers.
Rather than replacing graduate talent, AI has enabled the firm to train junior lawyers to work on highly complex tax matters that “many other firms would be unlikely to want to take on” because of the time and resources involved.
His views stand in stark contrast to warnings from University of Sydney Business School Professor Clinton Free, who has predicted that more than half of Australia’s workforce – including 147,000 lawyers – could be swept up in a white-collar “wipeout” if AI continues to advance as expected.
Cartland argued that resistance to AI is doing more harm than good, as restrictive attitudes within legal education risk sending graduates into practice without the skills firms increasingly expect.
“I have been a consistent and dedicated voice in opposition to industry doom merchants and those who are giving it a bad name because they don’t know how to apply it professionally and ethically,” he said.
“This includes universities where law students are exposed to stifling AI usage restrictions that are ill-preparing them for formal employment when they graduate.”
Rather than seeing AI as a threat to the next generation of lawyers, Cartland argued the technology is already creating new pathways into the profession, urging firms to embrace it as a catalyst for growth rather than fear it as a force for job losses.
“I not only believe that AI is not a threat to legal sector entrants, as is so commonly touted, but I am proving unequivocally that AI is an opportunity for law firms to employ graduates, and I encourage my peers to understand how they can go about that,” he said.
“I have established an efficient firm that, with its focus on tax, trusts, and technology, can produce higher-quality work, more effectively and efficiently.
“We use the same AI as other firms, but we are better than most at applying and implementing the technology.”
