Will AI Replace Paralegals?

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance and permeate various industries, and the legal profession is no exception. But the boundless opportunity presented by AI also raises questions for legal professionals: namely, will AI replace paralegals? 

According to the 2024 Legal Trends Report, 69% of hourly billable work performed by paralegals could be automated by AI. 

While this statistic may be alarming, understanding how to make the most of automation while leveraging your unique skill set presents new opportunities for paralegals: completing more work, faster, while focusing your efforts on the areas of practice that only you can do. 

In this post, we will provide insights into the complex relationship between AI and paralegal roles. By examining the benefits and challenges of AI integration, we hope to address common fears and misconceptions surrounding this topic.

Want to learn how other law firms are using AI in their day-to-day work? Check out our recent (CLE-eligible) webinar for top AI tips and examples of legal AI use cases.

Addressing concerns about AI replacing paralegals

With AI poised to automate a significant portion of paralegals’ hourly billable work, the rise of AI has (understandably) sparked concerns among paralegals about the potential threat of automation and job displacement.

Many fear that AI technologies will eventually replace human paralegals entirely, rendering their skills and expertise obsolete.

However, paralegals should approach AI as an opportunity to spend more time on the strategic tasks they excel at, and less time doing the repetitive work they may not enjoy anyway.  

Focus on the human experience

Instead of worrying about job displacement, it’s important to focus on the unique human skills that AI can’t touch—like nuanced judgment, empathy, and strategy—that are crucial in the legal space.

For example, by leveraging AI, paralegals can free up more time in their day to focus on the more human aspects of their role—like providing a client-centered experience, focusing on high-level case strategy, and tackling other business areas that often go under-addressed due to time limitations, like networking and business development. 

  • Kate Bell

    Kate Bell

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    Affinity Partnerships Manager, Clio