- Anna Paimela
- Oct 3, 2025
Updated: Aug 5
The work of a lawyer has always been shaped by change. Laws are reformed, society evolves, and new phenomena challenge established ways of thinking. Rarely, however, has change felt as rapid and fundamental as it does today. Artificial intelligence and digital solutions have become part of lawyers’ everyday work and are changing the foundations on which that work is carried out. They are no longer distant visions, but practical tools reshaping the way the entire legal profession operates.
Artificial intelligence can process vast amounts of information, identify relevant provisions in documents, conduct case law searches in seconds, and detect risks that would otherwise require time-consuming legal analysis. This change will inevitably affect the skills expected of lawyers. Increasingly, lawyers will need curiosity, the courage to experiment, and the ability to ask what technology means for the client and for the industry as a whole. A lawyer who remains interested in the surrounding world and its development is best placed to serve clients effectively. Adaptability is therefore one of the most important skills for lawyers today.
Although artificial intelligence can make parts of legal work faster and more accurate, lawyers remain responsible for critical thinking and for having the courage to say when a machine-generated answer is not enough. As routine tasks are increasingly handled with the help of technology, the lawyer’s true strengths become clearer: interaction, judgement, an understanding of context, and the ability to make choices. As technical work becomes faster, clients can also see more clearly why they want to rely on a particular lawyer, someone who listens, asks questions, and understands their situation as a whole.
The legal services business is built on trust, and personal interaction is at the heart of building that trust. Clients do not always come to the table with a clearly defined legal question. Sometimes they come with uncertainty, concern, or pressure. In those situations, the lawyer’s role extends beyond analysing facts. It involves listening, asking the right questions, and reflecting different options back to the client. A good lawyer can identify and articulate the wider context behind the client’s situation and help the client move forward. This kind of sparring and support is often just as important as the final legal solution.
When clients feel that they have been heard and that their situation has been understood from their own perspective, they gain confidence even when the answers are not straightforward. That experience is not created by data generated by an algorithm. It is created by the presence of another person. Adaptability is closely connected to being present. Lawyers must understand that law does not operate in a vacuum. It is always linked to the client’s day-to-day business, strategic objectives, and decision-making. A lawyer must therefore be able to see not only what the law says, but also how it affects the client’s business and what risks and opportunities it creates. This often requires sensitivity to the client’s needs, concerns, and objectives, as well as the ability to tailor legal advice accordingly. That sensitivity cannot exist without genuine human interaction.
Because personal encounters are at the heart of our work and the best way to strengthen trust, we celebrated Folks’ 10th anniversary in September. The evening gave rise to genuine conversations and moments in which clients and colleagues shared experiences and perspectives, paused to listen, and felt heard themselves. The warm messages we received after the celebration reinforced our sense that we had succeeded in celebrating precisely what makes our work meaningful: connection and human encounters. We hope the photographs convey that feeling to you as well.
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