eDiscovery Daily Blog

• January 5, 2016

Yesterday, I proclaimed that the “Age of eDiscovery Automation is Upon Us”.  But, does that mean that scores of lawyers need to start looking for work?  Not necessarily.

What a difference (nearly) five years makes.

Back in March 2011, The New York Times published an article entitled Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software (covered by us here back then) which discussed how, using ‘artificial intelligence, “e-discovery” software can analyze documents in a fraction of the time for a fraction of the cost’ (the terms “predictive coding” and “technology assisted review” hadn’t even become widely accepted yet).  It discussed whether this development would precipitate a march to the unemployment line for scores of attorneys

Now, in a new article (The End of Lawyers? Not So Fast., written by John Markoff), the Times takes a fresh look at the impact of automation on lawyers and concludes that impact may be less than many in the legal profession fear.

While noting that lawyers have been described as “canaries in the coal mine” in the face of a wave of automation, Markoff’s article observed that there were 149 million people employed in the United States, the most in history, despite fears of a “jobs-pocalypse” by some.  His article cites three studies that illustrate that more automation in the legal industry doesn’t necessarily mean less jobs:

• A November study prepared by McKinsey & Company suggested that adding technology to the workplace is more likely to transform, rather than eliminate, jobs;
• A recent paper written by M.I.T. labor economist David Autor, which points out that automation just as frequently complements as replaces labor in the workplace; and
• Another new study, Can Robots Be Lawyers?, by Dana Remus, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and Frank S. Levy, an M.I.T. labor economist, which explores which aspects of a lawyer’s job could be automated. The research suggested that, for now, even the most advanced A.I. technology would at best make only modest inroads into the legal profession as many tasks performed by lawyers today.

In essence, we’re talking about task automation (of mostly non-legal tasks) not job automation.  Don’t start updating your resume’ just because we have learned to make your job easier.  You’re welcome, by the way.  :o)

So, what do you think?  Are you concerned about the effect of eDiscovery automation on the legal job market?  Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by CloudNine. eDiscovery Daily is made available by CloudNine solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Daily should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.