Why Artificial Intelligence Needs Lawyers, Not the Other Way Around

The rise of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT prompts questions about the future of the legal profession, but history suggests technology redefines rather than eliminates jobs. While AI can draft legal documents or analyze contracts, equating its use with professional practice is a misunderstanding, akin to calling a calculator user a mathematician.

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Law is not a collection of paragraphs to be searched. It is an art of reasoning in conditions of uncertainty, responsibility for others' interests, and – often underestimated – the ability to read between the lines of human conflicts.

Law is not merely about finding paragraphs; it is an art of reasoning under uncertainty, taking responsibility for others' interests, and understanding unspoken conflicts. AI lacks professional accountability and cannot grasp a client's true intentions or the nuanced social, economic, and ethical contexts that influence legal matters. An algorithm can find similar cases but cannot judge their applicability or predict an opponent's negotiation tactics.

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No language model bears professional responsibility. No algorithm will sense when a client is saying something different from what they really want to say.

Consequently, critical thinking, communication, and interdisciplinary comprehension are becoming the most valuable skills for future legal professionals. Modern legal education must build its foundation on these competencies. Uczelnia Łazarskiego's Faculty of Law is designing its curriculum around this principle, focusing on practical case resolution, mock trials in a professional courtroom, and work within its Legal Clinic.

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AI can instantly search thousands of rulings and identify those most similar to the analyzed factual state. However, it cannot assess whether a given line of case law truly fits a specific situation – nor can it predict how the other party will behave when negotiations enter a decisive phase.

Students at Uczelnia Łazarskiego learn from judges, lawyers, and business practitioners, and are taught to use AI tools critically and consciously. The goal is not to make them AI experts, but to ensure they understand the tools' capabilities and limitations as legal professionals. As a private institution, the university benefits from the flexibility to regularly consult its curriculum with leading law firms and businesses, ensuring it aligns with real market demands rather than just academic traditions.

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These competencies – critical thinking, communication, interdisciplinary understanding of the world – are becoming the currency of the future. And they should form the foundation of modern legal education.