Bench & Bar November/December 2025

AI education. 3

A. AI IN LEGAL EDUCATION:

B. SUPPORT CAREER TRANSITIONS:

NAVIGATING THE DEMOGRAPHIC/ AI TRANSITION What should we do? Here are a few basic points to help fuel the conversation.

I know our law schools are teaching students about AI. This is the right path, as a graduate who can prompt an AI system effectively will outper form one who cannot. It is important, however, that law schools recognize the enormous impact AI will have on the profession. We need more, not less

We have many solo Boomer lawyers who have valuable practices and wisdom to pass to the next gener ation. The KBA can help connect retiring and aspiring practitioners who seek to pass valuable practices to the next generation. We should continue to educate retiring prac titioners about their options and ethical obligations. This is a tre mendous opportunity to move legal practices to aspiring practitioners.

C. INTEGRATE AI RESPONSIBLY:

The KBA’s ongoing CLE programs on artificial intelligence—emphasizing ethics and professional judgment—are a model for proactive adaptation.

CONCLUSION

The combined weight of demo graphic, educational, and technological forces makes one conclusion nearly inescapable: the United States will have fewer lawyers in 2035 than it does today, the majority of those law yers will be women, and AI will be completely infused into the practice of law. The emergence of AI will most likely mitigate the reduced number of lawyers. The next 10 years will be like no other. I am sure it will be remarkably interesting to watch these changes unfold.

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