I’m a lawyer writing about stuff replacing lawyers.
Counter-intuitive, I know. But let me explain.
I’ve always been a sucker for technological innovation. Whether it’s an interactive road trip map or my latest takeout app obsession, I love exploring and sharing my discoveries.
Law school opened my eyes to whole new world of technology—legal technology. When I heard about a community-based legal search engine or cool new legal analytics software, I ate it up. I couldn’t be more excited about the good ol’ legal industry “getting with the times.”
But when I started sharing these discoveries, I noticed a difference in how people reacted. The rest of the world shared in my excitement, but the legal community got defensive. And I couldn’t understand why.
The legal technology industry isn’t just coming out with tools and apps to improve the way we do things. It’s also churning out tools to help the way consumers do things. Without lawyers. And as the industry continues to grow, the tools in the shed keep getting sharper.
The way I see it, consumers should use legal technology. Lawyers should too. But—of course—there’s a catch.
As the old adage goes, becoming a lawyer isn’t about learning the law—it’s about learning to think like a lawyer. Lawyers have a different way of looking at the world, and there’s an inherent risk in trusting an app to do something that requires their skill, insight, and instinct—for consumers and lawyers alike.
Where do you draw the line? Well, I’ll give you the famous lawyer answer: it depends. It depends who you are. It depends where you are. It depends what you know, and what you don’t know, and whether you know what you don’t know. It depends on the legal issue, the precedent, how established the law is, or how rapidly it’s changing. It depends what you have to gain, and, more importantly, it depends what you have to lose.
So, here I am—your average iPhone-toting, app-loving millennial with the legal knowledge to try to figure out where that line is, and why. Even when the app wins. Seriously. Because if I’m going to be replaced by a robot lawyer, I want to get out of Dodge ahead of time so I can start focusing on my rap career.
Education
- J.D., Emory University School of Law, 2015
- B.S., University of South Carolina, 2012
- International Business and Marketing, Magna Cum Laude, with Honors from South Carolina Honors College
Robot Lawyer 