Why Big Law Is Cutting First-Year Associates and Hiring 'AI Paralegals'

Big-law first-year associates used to bill $400+/hour for document review and contract drafting. Tools like Harvey AI, Lexis+ AI, and Casetext CoCounsel do the same work in minutes. Allen & Overy and PwC adopted Harvey firm-wide in 2023; class sizes for first-years are shrinking 10-20% per year at top firms. The new entry path is 'AI-fluent associate' — a JD who runs the AI tools, double-checks them, and meets clients. Pure doc-review jobs are the part going away.

Some examples

• Allen & Overy deployed Harvey to 3,500+ lawyers in 2023 — the first big-law firm-wide AI rollout; billable hours per associate fell, partner profit didn't.
• Goldman Sachs estimated 44% of legal tasks could be automated by AI in their 2023 report — 'tasks,' not 'jobs.'
• ABA's 2024 Legal Technology Survey: 30% of large firms use generative AI weekly, up from 11% in 2023; new associates are expected to know how.
• Paralegal job listings using 'AI' or 'Harvey' as a required skill grew 8x year over year on Indeed in 2024.

Try it!

Try free 'CoCounsel' demos or read Harvey's case studies on their site. You'll see exactly which lawyer tasks are automated — and which still require a human in a courtroom.