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Contrary to popular opinion, being human (in a tech-centric world) is actually the future of legal service delivery, writes Rachael Karlyl.
We are constantly hearing right now that the future of life, law, and the world is in artificial intelligence. The dusty books are being replaced with computer-generated summaries that offer a condensed version of learning and a less humanistic way of communicating. Students in law school are worried that the lower-level jobs are going to be undertaken by machines and that the job market will be even more difficult than it already is. The clerkship and graduate program hunger games will worsen. This is what we are being told.
But, really, haven’t the machines always been coming to “make our lives better” since Arnie was in Terminator or Will Smith was in I, Robot? Terminator was released in 1984, and I, Robot was released in 2004. We are 40 years on from then, and we are still questioning our values as humans. I think the better question than “How will I be replaced?” is “How do I make myself irreplaceable?” That is the real superpower. That is the real future of law.
In the past, people went to lawyers to do law things. Now, people go to lawyers (and most other professional services) because of the way they make them feel, what they stand for, and what their value adds are. It is a given that you, as a lawyer, have smarts. But what sets you apart from the crowd? Google suggests that about 8,000 people graduate with a law degree in Australia each year. That is at least 8,000 more humans to set yourself apart from each year. So, what gives you you-i-ness?
The first element to identify your you-i-ness is self-awareness. This strategic advantage allows you to understand what your internal map says about your external plans. This is where you have a decision-making framework based on values, not what someone has heard is success in the profession. And, deeper than that – knowing your strengths, and the things that don’t come as naturally to you or that trigger a part of you that moves you away from rational brain thinking and into fight, flight, or freeze. If you know these inner parts of you, what you stand for and why, who you want to be and why, and who you do not want to be and why – you will show up differently for yourself, your clients, and the profession.
The second element is knowing that your story is yours, and it is an important story to tell. Your story is what sets you apart from the AI that will replace you. Your human experience is not comparable to that of any other humans. It is your perspective, how you felt, what you experienced; it cannot be written, it cannot be faked. This is the authenticity element. With authenticity comes vulnerability. Some days are going to feel intensely uncomfortable. But if I can sit in a room full of tradies with tattoos in a pink tulle skirt and sign them as a client, then I guess authenticity wins.
The final element is just a willingness to be OK with being different. Be OK with standing out. Our whole lives, we are taught not to say that we are so good at something because we would sound “up ourselves” or not to wear clothes that would draw too much attention because being noticed was not something we should aspire to be. That is not how the world works anymore. In a world of social media, geopolitics, a rising cost of living, self-help gurus everywhere – being different means that you have more chance of silencing the noise of others that might not be right for your client. But, they can’t come to you because they don’t know who you are, because you were too scared of being noticed.
I will leave you with this thought: what if you were doing the profession, your clients, and yourself a disservice by not showing up? What if you could realise the dream of helping people (the reason you got into law) by knowing yourself, telling your story, and getting noticed? What if AI isn’t the future of law, but instead, being human is?
Rachael Karlyl is a lawyer, speaker, coach, and podcast host.
