AI is changing how Lawyers work – and putting the billable hour under pressure
AI is reshaping legal practice, prompting firms to rethink training and the billable hour model. Firms like A&O Shearman are emphasizing curiosity, entrepreneurship, and new career paths in legal engineering and AI delivery. Experts predict that future lawyers will need interdisciplinary skills to interpret and challenge AI outputs for clients.
- ▪Jorge Bestard of Harvey warns that faster AI-generated drafts do not automatically translate to faster competence development for lawyers.
- ▪Francesca Bennetts says A&O Shearman is valuing curiosity and entrepreneurship while creating roles in legal engineering and AI delivery that were scarce a few years ago.
- ▪Soomro expects that judgment will become disproportionately valuable as lawyers spend more time checking AI output and interpreting its implications for clients.
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| Original publisher | CNBC |
| Canonical URL | https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/10/ai-lawyers-billable-hour-legal-careers.html |
| Publication time | Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:04:07 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-10-12T01:10:24.867Z |
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As AI takes on more of that work, firms will need to be deliberate about replacing those learning opportunities, according to London-based Jorge Bestard, head of EMEA at Harvey. "A faster route to a draft does not automatically mean a faster route to competence," he told CNBC.A&O Shearman is placing more value on "curiosity and entrepreneurship," said Francesca Bennetts, the firm's London-based head of legal talent. It is also building career paths in legal engineering, product and AI delivery that "barely existed a few years ago," she told CNBC."The need to develop exceptional lawyers doesn't go away," Bennetts said.
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