By Ian Nelson + Chris Wedgeworth, Hotshot.
Artificial Lawyer recently addressed important issues facing law firm leaders: ‘The questions keep coming up: if GenAI will increasingly be able to do process-level work, what happens to the most junior associates? What work will they do? Who will train them? Do we even need them?’
One of the conclusions was that ‘as on-the-job billable learning becomes scarcer at the ground floor level, the need for good old-fashioned education and training will increase to prepare juniors for the real action.’
We at Hotshot agree, and this aligns perfectly with what we’re seeing in our work with over half the Am Law 100 and many other firms. Read on.
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Hotshot and Artificial Lawyer webinar: ‘Training for the Age of AI’ is at 5PM UK, 12 Noon EST – tomorrow, Thursday, April 3. Please RSVP to book your place here.
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As automation handles more of the routine, lower-level work that associates have typically done (such as discovery and due diligence review) the associate role is evolving toward higher-value, higher-level work. Forward-thinking firms are adapting their training programs to prepare junior lawyers for this transformation, ensuring they develop the skills that clients expect and are willing to pay for.
Our recent white paper ‘Training Lawyers for the Age of AI,’ draws on our work with customers and explores this issue in detail, offering a practical framework for preparing associates for the AI era. Here’s a look at our key findings and some innovative training approaches already in action.
From Routine Tasks to Strategic Contributions
Clients no longer want to pay for associates to pull all-nighters reviewing documents—not when GenAI can do it faster and more accurately. As a result, firms are reimagining training programs to prepare associates earlier in their careers for more sophisticated work such as:
Validating and interpreting GenAI-generated output
Developing stronger client communication and relationship skills
Combining legal analysis with strategic business thinking
Collaborating effectively across disciplines and practice areas
Translating complex legal concepts into practical client guidance
While this presents a challenge, it’s also a significant opportunity for associates to engage in more meaningful work. After all, associates didn’t go to law school dreaming of spending their nights buried in due diligence—they want to solve problems and advise clients.
A Framework for Associate Development
Training programs are being built around three fundamental questions that are shaping an effective training strategy:
What should associates should learn
How should they learn it
Who should develop and deliver the training
The What: Curriculum Evolution
Firms are updating their training in four categories to better prepare associates for the age of AI:
Legal skills that build strong fundamentals first. Associates need to understand the underlying principles before they can effectively validate AI work product. This includes both traditional substantive knowledge and higher-level strategic skills like developing recommendations from data, identifying issues AI might miss, and communicating complex legal conclusions to clients.
Technology literacy going beyond basic software training to true technological fluency. Associates need proficiency with AI tools and validation methods, but also with practice-specific platforms, data analysis tools, and emerging legal technologies that clients increasingly expect their lawyers to understand and leverage effectively.
Business acumen including industry knowledge, financial concepts, and accounting principles that help associates understand client context and business objectives.
Professional skills like critical thinking, communication, and project management – capabilities that let associates provide judgment-based counsel that technology cannot replicate.
The How: Blending Different Learning Formats
We’re also seeing firms being more intentional about how training is delivered. Firms are adopting a ‘multi-modal’ approach—combining different learning formats that work together to accelerate skill development:
On-demand learning that allows associates to access knowledge exactly when they need it—like when preparing for a first deposition or reviewing a term sheet.
Interactive learning where associates actively engage with material, making decisions and experiencing consequences in a controlled environment.
Experiential learning through mock deals and cases where partners guide junior attorneys through simulated matters. This hands-on experience is critical—associates must understand how to do the work themselves before they can effectively review and validate AI-generated output. It also creates invaluable opportunities for partners to teach firm-specific approaches and build mentoring relationships with associates.
The Who: Strategic Resource Allocation
The third part of the framework addresses who should develop and deliver training. As firms invest more in structured training programs, they need to be strategic about how they allocate resources:
Internal expertise should focus on firm-differentiating elements like unique practice approaches, specialized knowledge, and judgment development.
External resources can efficiently provide foundation-building content and technology, allowing firms to scale their training while preserving valuable partner time.
This balanced approach ensures firms maintain their competitive advantage through unique expertise while delivering comprehensive training efficiently.
Real-World Examples
Several innovative programs (with Hotshot content as a component) demonstrate what effective associate development is starting to look like in the age of AI. These case studies are detailed in our white paper but here are short summaries:
Brown Rudnick introduces professional skills training early in associates’ careers, building practice-specific learning paths that combine classroom instruction with on-demand and peer learning.
Crowell & Moring strategically uses video-based learning for their mini-MBA and GenAI training programs, having associates review content before live sessions. This approach creates more valuable in-person interactions where participants come prepared with questions rather than just absorbing information.
Goodwin developed an award-winning eight-week program with comprehensive simulations run by the firm’s lawyers and L&PD team, where associates handle multiple transactions for a fictional fitness app company and manage litigation for a hypothetical shoe company, providing practical experience across various practice areas before associates are assigned to billable matters.
Wilson Sonsini requires associates to learn incorporation fundamentals before using the firm’s automation platform, ensuring they understand market practices and can identify issues when clients request non-standard terms. Their approach helps associates develop the judgment needed for more complex matters.
Embracing the Opportunity
Forward-thinking firms are already adapting their training programs to prepare associates for success in the age of AI. They’re building development programs that equip associates for sophisticated work that AI can’t replicate.
At Hotshot, we’re supporting these efforts through our content and how we partner with firms. Our offerings include on-demand videos, curated learning tracks, and experiential simulations like our M&A transaction program where associates practice the full deal cycle. These resources help firms deliver the multi-modal training that associates need, while making efficient use of valuable partner time.
For firms embracing this transformation, the future looks promising: associates doing more fulfilling work earlier, clients receiving more sophisticated service, and the profession focusing on the uniquely human elements that technology can enhance but not replace.
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Hotshot and Artificial Lawyer webinar: ‘Training for the Age of AI’ is at 5PM UK, 12 Noon EST – tomorrow, Thursday April 3.
Please RSVP to book your place here.
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About the authors: Ian Nelson and Chris Wedgeworth are the co-founders of legal training company Hotshot.