A piece in Forbes by Joseph Andrew (former Global Chairman of Dentons) on how AI is changing the legal profession and the skills junior lawyers will need. The introduction is a bit odd — not sure any law schools “focus on academics or celebrity alumni” as graduation speakers, many schools are “meeting the moment,” and some of the advice has long been given (e.g., legal careers are not linear, relationships are important). Nevertheless, some interesting thoughts on the changing role of lawyers.

None of this diminishes the importance of learning to use AI. You should become deeply fluent. Learn how to prompt effectively, how to structure outputs, how to test and validate results. Treat it as a new language, but not one that you just need to learn, but one that you have to teach the machine you are interacting with to learn. 

But do not confuse fluency with value. AI literacy will quickly become like the ability to tie your shoes. The differentiator is not your ability to make a knot; it is your ability to know what to ask, when to trust the answer, and when to override the need to tie anything together. That requires context, experience, and judgment—precisely the capabilities the profession must now elevate.

Read the full article here: Joseph Andrew, What Law School Grads Need to Know Now: The Second to Last Generation?, Forbes, June 15, 2026.