Summary

What happens when you put artificial intelligence up against real human lawyers on legal tasks? What if the AI is just as accurate but uses 1/8 of the words?

In episode 21 of the 2030 Vision Podcast, hosts Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore how AI is reshaping the legal industry. The duo tackles the big, messy, thrilling question: What happens to lawyering when AI starts doing it just as well—or better—than us?

Key Takeaways

1.    The 16,000-Character Lawyer
One standout segment focused on a new benchmarking report by VALS, an independent organization evaluating legal AI tools. One surprising finding? AI is nearly as accurate as lawyers but far more concise.

“The response length for AI was around 2,000–3,000 characters. For lawyers? Nearly 16,000. So, we’re saying the same thing with eight times the words.”

As Jen put it, “It’s really hard to say things with fewer words. Like, it takes a lot more work.” Bridget added, “The only thing I like better than a two-word sentence is a one-word sentence.”

It turns out that brevity really is the soul of wit—and maybe legal efficiency.

2.    AI Aha Moments
The episode began, as usual, with “AI Aha” moments—real-world examples demonstrating AI's unexpected power.

One moment featured a law professor who saw her detailed eviction law research replicated by an AI tool in minutes, leaving her stunned. Another moment came from a conversation with a public interest lawyer overwhelmed with communications work who watched AI effortlessly generate press releases, talking points and even a 30-day social media calendar.

Sometimes, the only way to convince people is to show them.

3.    The AI Teammate: Better, Faster, Happier?
The podcast also explored a new study from Wharton on how AI impacts teamwork. The results were striking—people who used AI to solve real business problems were more productive, engaged and less anxious.

The legal implications are huge. Imagine dissolving traditional boundaries between practice areas. Imagine junior lawyers working across disciplines, supported by AI. Imagine legal teams built around AI copilots instead of conventional structures.

“It might mean the end of the tax attorney, the real estate attorney, the M&A attorney being separate roles on one matter,” said Jen. “Maybe one attorney—with AI—can do it all.”

4.    VALS Benchmarking: Are We... Worse Than AI?
The VALS report compared the performance of top legal AI tools—Harvey, CoCounsel, Vincent AI, and Oliver—against human lawyers on tasks like document review, data extraction and redlining.

The takeaway? AI tools often outperformed lawyers. Not in every category—humans still had the edge on nuanced redlining—but AI held its own in most areas. And AI tools are still improving.

“They’re already on par. And they’re only going to get better,” Bridget noted. “We’re not. At least not before I retire.”

5.    Let Go of the Ego
One of the podcast’s recurring themes is the legal profession’s deeply held belief in its own perfection. Jason Barnwell of Microsoft captured it best in his reflections on the VALS report:

• Human work isn’t flawless.
• Accuracy alone isn’t the full measure of value—speed and cost matter.
• It’s not either human intelligence or AI—it’s both.

That shift in mindset may be what’s needed most.

6.    Law School, Legal Practice... and “What’s the Point?”
Jen and Bridget also revisited the anxiety of law school, where students struggle to grasp meaning from opaque cases and cryptic exam samples. They argued that AI could radically transform legal education.

“Imagine uploading a sample exam to an AI and asking: What’s good about this?” said Jen. “That’s how it should be.”

The technology is already here. Now, it’s about raising awareness and making it accessible.

Final Thoughts

As the episode wrapped, the message was clear: AI isn’t replacing lawyers. It’s augmenting them—making them faster, more effective and maybe even happier in their work.

Whether you’re an AI skeptic or enthusiast, the 2030 Vision Podcast is your space to explore the evolving relationship between law and technology.

Listen in. Learn something new. And maybe try writing that next client memo in fewer than 16,000 characters.

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