Odd Lots What AI Is Already Doing to the Legal Industry
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Jul 17, 2025 
Joel Wertheimer, a civil rights attorney from Wertheimer Fleder LLP and former White House staffer, shares insights on how AI is transforming the legal industry. He discusses the drastic cut in document review time thanks to AI, accelerating legal research and changing billing practices. Wertheimer highlights the potential economic impacts on junior lawyers, the evolving nature of partnerships in firms, and the ethical concerns surrounding AI and privacy in legal practices. This conversation offers a glimpse into the future of law as technology reshapes its landscape.
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Joel's Civil Rights Law Practice
- Joel Wertheimer runs a civil rights law firm suing the government for constitutional violations like false arrests and wrongful convictions.
- He enjoys being his own boss and setting his own work-life balance by choosing which cases to take on.
Junior Lawyers' Document Work
- Junior litigators spend much of their time on discovery, analyzing and reviewing documents for relevance and privilege.
- AI and machine learning have begun to reduce time spent on tedious tasks like document review and formatting.
Law Firm Leverage Economics
- Big law firms use leverage by having many associates bill hours supporting fewer partners.
- Associates generate significant revenue but are paid a smaller fraction, with partners capturing most of the profits.