Vivian Wesson, chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, shared her thoughts on March 20 as part of the association’s 150th anniversary reflections.
Wesson discussed the challenges facing the legal profession as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent. She said it is important to ensure that new lawyers are trained to think critically and creatively, rather than relying solely on technology.
“The biggest challenge I see facing our profession is how are we training that next level of lawyers to think like lawyers, to do that type of analysis. If all they can do is query ChatGPT – well, we’ve seen spectacularly how that does not work. We still have to do the job of being lawyers. There is no concept of going to an actual library, with books, and pulling one off, and having to Shepardize a case, and actually having to go through that process. But it’s still that mental training that less experienced attorneys still need. So how do we couple that with the capability of augmenting legal practice, without eviscerating the fact that I still need you to sit and think and be creative and ponder – whether or not this case actually speaks to these facts, or how do you analogize it and draw inferences and implications?” Wesson said.
She added: “All of those things require some legal skill that the bot is not going to give you.”
The association invited other members who wish to share their memories in honor of its anniversary to email rmelnitsky@nysba.org for a chance to be featured on its website.
