January 2026, Part 2, Top 5 Takeaways:
1. Delegation Skills Are Essential for Working with AI.
The ability to delegate effectively to AI is critical - treating AI like a team member or associate. Good managers who can clearly communicate tasks, ask for clarifying questions, and have AI summarize back what it will do are most successful with AI tools.
2. Process Mapping and Workflow Definition Are Key.
As AI becomes more agentic, lawyers need to clearly define SOPs (standard operating procedures) and workflows. Many struggle to set up AI agents because they can’t articulate the exact process they want automated. Being able to map out processes is becoming essential.
3. Interrogation and Verification Skills Matter More Than Tool Mastery.
The ability to interrogate AI results, asking “Can this be trusted?”, “What was left out?”, “Where did it go wrong?” is more valuable than learning specific tools. Red-teaming AI outputs and using structured protocols to verify statistics and claims is critical.
4. AI Consistently Fails at Creative Storytelling and Writing Quality.
While AI can process facts and law, it struggles with creative legal storytelling, framing arguments compellingly, and producing writing that doesn’t need editing. It lacks the narrative skills needed for jury persuasion and compelling advocacy.
5. The Biggest Risk Is User Error, Not Tool Failure.
AI failures typically stem from users not providing proper context (relevant cases, statutes, facts), using the wrong tool for the job, or not understanding terms of service. The risk isn’t the AI itself – it’s lawyers not knowing how to use it properly or putting sensitive client information into unsecured tools.
Bonus insight: Voice-based interaction is becoming essential – speaking to AI (e.g., 300 words/minute) can be twice as fast as typing (e.g., 125 words/minute) and provides richer context for better results.
