The ‘baseline expectations’ for Gen Z lawyers

Last week, Lawyers Weekly unpacked how Gen Z could be an “unexpectedly consequential demographic” for law’s future.

In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, LOD reflected that Gen Z lawyers are arriving just as AI is moving from novelty to infrastructure inside legal teams, and just as traditional measures of legal value are being rethought.

“This cohort has grown up treating technology as unremarkable background noise, not as a tool they had to learn. They’re not sentimental about how law has always worked, because they never experienced it. That clean-slate perspective matters enormously right now,” the provider said.

“Add to that the broader context: trust in institutions is fragile, geopolitics is unstable, and client expectations are shifting fast. Gen Z has lived all of that; they didn’t just read about it. They’re arriving pragmatic rather than idealistic, solutions-focused rather than deferential.”

Legal workplaces that are honest with themselves, LOD stressed, know they need exactly that kind of energy right now.

“The transformative moment isn’t coming. It’s already here, and Gen Z is walking straight into the middle of it. Embrace them, and they could be the ones to lead legal teams through it.”

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In response, law departments can and must lean into upward learning as an opportunity, LOD advised.

Gen Z brings AI fluency that most senior lawyers simply don’t have, the provider mused, “not because they studied it, but because it’s second nature to them”.

“They’ve grown up using these tools instinctively. That’s genuinely valuable, and smart legal leaders will tap into it rather than ignore it.”

This said, LOD noted that it is a two-way street.

“Leaders have a critical role to teach Gen Z how to verify, validate and interrogate what AI produces. Knowing how to use a tool confidently is not the same as knowing when to question its output,” it said.

“The best legal teams will be the ones where that exchange flows freely in both directions, with Gen Z bringing the tech instinct and experienced lawyers bringing the judgement and rigour to apply it well.”

Of course, real challenges remain for department leaders to overcome, namely in reconciling Gen Z’s expectations around flexibility, autonomy, and non-linear careers with more traditional structures and ways of working.

“The traditional legal career ladder is already changing, and that’s worth acknowledging openly. It’s no longer a single path upward through associate to partner. Legal ops, project management, technology strategy, client advisory and embedded counsel roles are all expanding what a legal career can look like. Gen Z will find that genuinely appealing, because non-linear suits them just fine,” LOD said.

“The challenge is for firms and teams still anchored to rigid structures. Gen Z wants flexibility in how and where they work, variety in what they do, and the autonomy to get on with it. They bring real tech instincts, and they want those skills recognised and used, and valued. Appreciate what they bring, give them room to apply it, and they’ll thrive. Try to fit them into a structure built for a different era and you’ll lose them quickly.”

To attract Gen Z, LOD suggested, law departments should lead with what this demographic is looking for: flexibility, varied roles, continuous training, and genuine access to technology.

“These aren’t perks; they’re the baseline expectations,” it said.

“To engage them, hire differently. Curiosity, willingness and empathy matter more now than ever, because AI can handle much of the legal knowledge component. The skills that AI can’t replicate are the ones worth hiring for. Encourage their tech instincts from day one, and build in training that teaches them to validate and interrogate what technology produces. That’s a new training model, but it’s one legal firms need to embrace.”

“To retain them, deliver on what you promised. Invest in their development, offer varied career paths and maintain the flexibility that drew them in. Do that well, and you won’t just retain them, you’ll build people who grow with you for the long term.”

When asked what best practice looks like when it comes to managing and supporting Gen Z in the workplace, particularly in balancing flexibility with productivity, and autonomy with accountability, LOD noted that this is where its model comes into play.

“Flexible legal work isn’t a compromise on quality, it’s a framework that produces it, because lawyers doing work they’re engaged by, in ways that suit how they work best, consistently deliver better outcomes,” it said.

“Gen Z already knows this intuitively. They don’t need convincing that flexibility and high performance go together.”

Best practice, the provider continued, starts with clear outcomes.

“What does success look like for this piece of work? If you can answer that well, the how and when become far less important to prescribe. Give Gen Z the brief, the tools and the trust. Be available when they need support. And create genuine feedback loops, because they want honest input and they’ll use it,” it said.

“As Jordan Furlong puts it in the report, if you accept them and value them for who they are, they’ll walk through walls for you. That’s not softness. That’s just good management.”