Page 5 - SeptemberOctober25 Report

Everybody Everybody
Calm Down Calm Down
AI Won’t Rule in Law
By Jeimarie Morales & Justin Lawrence
The legal field has always evolved:
from colonies to states, from
typewriters to Word, from
casebooks to databases. Through
it all, the core values of critical
thinking, advocacy, and human
judgment have remained central.
The legal profession needs to calm down about AI. The
worry that certain aspects of legal work are being taken
over by AI isn’t irrational; it’s already happening. But AI
will not replace lawyers. What it will do is empower the lawyers
who choose to embrace it. Lawyers who learn to use AI strategi-
cally may soon outperform those who don’t.
As law schools begin integrating generative AI tools into their
curriculum, it’s time for employers
to adapt. Accepting this new reality
is the first step toward building a
firm that is ready to assist clients
using the best tools at their disposal.
Adapting isn’t just about keeping up
with the latest tech. It’s about under-
standing how the next generation of
lawyers already uses it, and how that
can benefit your practice.
Transforming Fear
into Curiosity
Of course, there are valid concerns that students and prac-
ticing attorneys alike must consider when using AI. One of the
most prominent is the issue of AI “hallucinations,” when an
AI tool confidently generates incorrect or misleading results.
The most prominent example of this leading to major prob-
lems comes from Mata v. Avianca, Inc., 678 F. Supp. 3d 443, 466
(S.D.N.Y. 2023), where attorneys were sanctioned after submit-
ting, and then defending, non-existent judicial opinions and
quotes that were created by an AI system. The case, understand-
ably, opened the flood gates for concerns about accuracy, ethics,
and potential malpractice with the use of AI. Those concerns are
real, but the response shouldn’t be to avoid AI altogether.
We’ve lived through technological transformation before:
computers, email, cloud storage, and video conferencing. Each
met initial skepticism followed by widespread acceptance. AI isn’t
“doomsday tech,” it’s just the latest
development in a long history of trans-
formative tools, such as the calculator,
Microsoft Word, and Westlaw. And
just like a calculator doesn’t erase
the need to understand foundational
math, AI doesn’t eliminate the need
for legal reasoning. When taught
and used properly, AI will supple-
ment rather than supplant your legal
analysis.
A common concern is that AI will
“dumb down” the profession. The
truth is, the details of the work may
change, but the theme does not. The legal field has always evolved:
from colonies to states, from typewriters to Word, from casebooks
to databases. Through it all, the core values of critical thinking,
advocacy, and human judgment have remained central. Attorneys
have long made an art out of analysis, and AI simply provides new
tools to rationalize, conclude, and opine. But as to the creativity
and judgment needed to make artistic arguments? That’s still
entirely human.
THE REPORT | September/October 2025 | CincyBar.org 5