Get Paid with Manny Medina S2E21: The $200K legal bills that made me automate law firms (Nick Holhzherr, GitLaw)
We invited Nick Holzherr, founder of GitLaw and former contestant on The Apprentice, to dive deep into the legal industry's impending transformation. Nick shares his journey from paying hundreds of thousands in legal fees for what he discovered were essentially template documents, to building a platform that automates 90% of legal work. He breaks down the shocking economics of law firms where partners charge $2000/hour while paying juniors $100/hour to fill out standardized forms, and explains why this model is about to collapse entirely.
Nick and Manny explore the broader implications of AI displacing entire professions. From the thousands of qualified junior lawyers who can't find work right now (but politicians don't see it yet), to the mind-bending tax revenue crisis coming when AI agents replace human workers, this episode reveals the systemic changes already happening beneath the surface. Nick also pulls back the curtain on his Apprentice experience, sharing the psychological manipulation tactics used by reality TV producers, and offers his "barbell strategy" for legal spending: automate the basics, hire only the absolute best commercial lawyers for complex deals.
> "The social contract is broken now. The people at the bottom no longer get this shot of being the lazy fat ones on the top."
The $200K Legal Template Revelation
Nick exposes how law firms charge enterprise rates for junior work using standardized templates from Practical Law and LexisNexis. While partners enjoy social events, juniors work 80+ hour weeks filling out templates that clients could complete themselves.
> "90% of the bill is actually operational stuff that's not a really smart lawyer. It's someone much more junior, and they're getting charged at $500-1000/hour."
This broken economic model—where partners capture massive margins while juniors do the grunt work—is about to collapse as AI eliminates the need for junior lawyers entirely.
Why Most Founders Are Overpaying for Legal
The failing pattern Nick sees repeatedly: founders pay premium rates for template work that could be automated. His solution challenges conventional legal spending:
> "Go tippy top or prompt. That's it. Barbell strategy."
His argument: either automate the basic work or hire only the absolute best commercial lawyers who can negotiate deal terms worth hundreds of thousands. Skip everything in between.
The Reality TV Psychological Manipulation Playbook
Nick pulls back the curtain on The Apprentice's systematic psychological warfare tactics:
> "They put ideas into your mind. They tell you 'Did you notice Nick was giving you an evil look? He thinks you're rubbish.'"
The show uses sleep deprivation, 24/7 surveillance, isolation from family, and planted conflicts to break down contestants mentally. Despite the manipulation, Nick would do it again for the business exposure.
The AI Unemployment Crisis Politicians Can't See
Nick reveals the hidden crisis already happening in the legal profession:
> "Hundreds of applicants from great universities. They haven't got jobs."
When GitLaw posts lawyer positions, they're overwhelmed with desperate qualified candidates. But politicians don't see the displacement because "we're all in a bubble."
The Coming Tax Revenue Disaster
The conversation takes a speculative turn into the fiscal crisis coming from AI displacement. When AI agents replace human workers, states lose massive tax revenue but gain unemployment costs with no funding for safety nets.
> "Europe has kind of got a model for that. You can tax the agents really high to pay for everyone on universal basic income."
Europe's existing social safety net infrastructure gives them a massive advantage in the AI transition compared to America's lack of UBI systems.
Companies Mentioned
- GitLaw
- Practical Law
- LexisNexis
- Harvey AI
- Lawhive
- Legora
- Granola
- ElevenLabs
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