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Over the past couple of years, there has been growing discussion about the impact Artificial Intelligence, often referred to as AI, may have on the legal profession.
For trainee solicitors, this often raises an understandable question: if AI can draft, summarise and streamline administrative tasks, where does that leave the traditional role of a junior lawyer?
Since commencing my training contract in May 2025, I have understood from the start that junior lawyers are not becoming less important. Instead, the qualities that define a strong trainee solicitor are beginning to evolve.
The traditional trainee solicitor experience remains incredibly important. Many firms continue to value the grounding that comes from learning legal practice from the bottom up, and there are good reasons for this.
The vast majority of core skills developed as a junior lawyer cannot be replaced by technology. These include:
These skills are built through experience, repetition and exposure to live legal work. They are not skills that can be fully learned from a textbook or outsourced to AI.
In many ways, these skills are becoming even more important. Where AI is used, there must always be a trained professional applying human oversight, judgement and accountability.
Early in my training contract, a significant amount of my time was spent handling administrative tasks alongside fee-earning work.
Although these tasks could be time-consuming and, at times, frustrating, they were also valuable. They helped me understand how transactions progress in practice, how teams operate and why organisation and preparation matter so much.
There is a reason why trainee solicitors have traditionally learned from the ground up. Awareness of how legal work progresses cannot be gained from theory alone.
At the same time, it is difficult to ignore how quickly technology is beginning to influence the way legal professionals work.
AI is becoming increasingly capable of assisting with tasks that would previously have taken a considerable amount of time, particularly administrative and process-driven tasks. Used responsibly, AI tools can improve efficiency, support clearer communication and reduce unnecessary friction in the working day.
A simple example is copy-typing. Where a historic PDF deed from the early 1900s contains a deed of covenant that needs to be typed out manually, this could previously take 10 to 15 minutes. A firm-approved AI tool may be able to scan the extract and produce a typed version in around 30 seconds.
In one respect, this means we have reclaimed time.
However, a useful starting point or quick time-saver is not the same as legal judgement. This distinction is becoming increasingly important and is helping to shape internal AI policies across the legal profession.
AI can assist with proofreading, structuring information, simplifying language and providing useful starting points for research. It can also help refine client-facing communication and organise information more efficiently.
A simple explanation generated by an AI tool can sometimes prompt further independent research and support a better understanding of unfamiliar concepts.
However, AI does not know the client. It does not know the file. It does not understand the commercial realities behind a transaction. It cannot replace the judgement required to assess risk, make decisions or provide client care.
Trainee solicitors are not simply learning how to complete tasks. They are learning how to think, analyse and operate as solicitors. This is where technology will always have limitations.
The legal profession is not moving towards a future where trainee solicitors become obsolete. Instead, it is moving towards a future where trainees may be expected to become efficient earlier, while still developing the technical and professional skills at the heart of legal practice.
When speaking to colleagues and friends who aspire to enter the legal profession, I often say that trainees should be careful not to become over-reliant on AI.
There is significant value in working through a problem yourself, carrying out your own research and learning how to structure your thinking without immediately turning to an AI tool for answers.
At the same time, there is also value in understanding how AI can support productivity when used appropriately and responsibly.
I am proud that Martin Tolhurst Solicitors is exploring this balance carefully and taking a proactive approach to AI.
The focus is not on introducing AI for the sake of it. It is about understanding where AI can assist, while ensuring that human oversight, judgement and accountability remain central to the process.
As a firm, we are undertaking structured training with an AI specialist company. We have also adopted a policy of no AI usage until that training has been completed successfully.
These training sessions have been insightful and have provided a valuable opportunity to work with colleagues to identify how AI tools may support our work, while remembering that they are not a replacement for professional judgement.
Our “human in the loop” approach ensures that content produced with the support of AI remains subject to scrutiny, review and professional judgement.
The firms and trainees who benefit most from AI are unlikely to be those who rely on it heavily. They will be those who understand where its limitations lie.
AI may improve efficiency, reduce administrative friction and support day-to-day legal practice. However, responsibility for judgement, accuracy and client care will always remain with the lawyer behind the screen.
For trainee solicitors, this is not something to fear.
In fact, it places even greater value on the skills that training contracts are designed to develop: judgement, communication, organisation, accountability and care.
AI is unlikely to replace trainee solicitors. While it can support legal work by assisting with drafting, summarising and administrative tasks, it cannot replace human judgement, client understanding, professional accountability or the development of legal skills.
Trainee solicitors can use AI responsibly by treating it as a support tool rather than a substitute for their own thinking. Any AI-generated output should be checked carefully, reviewed in context and assessed using professional judgement.
Human judgement is essential because legal work involves context, risk, client care and accountability. AI may process information quickly, but it does not understand the client, the wider transaction or the practical consequences of legal decisions.
Trainee solicitors still need strong communication, drafting, research, organisation, risk assessment, problem-solving and client care skills. These skills remain central to becoming a capable solicitor.
Martin Tolhurst Solicitors is taking a careful and responsible approach to AI. The firm is undertaking structured AI training and has adopted a “human in the loop” approach to ensure human oversight, judgement and accountability remain central.
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