From human to human

A lawyer’s work has always been shaped by change. Laws are reformed, society evolves and new phenomena challenge old ways of thinking. Rarely, however, has change felt as rapid or as fundamental as it does now. AI and digital tools have entered the everyday life of lawyers and are transforming the foundations of how work is done. They are no longer distant visions, but concrete instruments that are reshaping the whole profession.

AI can process vast amounts of information, find the relevant passages in documents, run case-law searches in seconds and spot risks that would otherwise require laborious analysis. Inevitably, this shifts the skill set expected of lawyers. Going forward we will need even more curiosity and the courage to experiment, together with the ability to ask what a technology means for the client and what it means for the entire sector. A lawyer who stays genuinely interested in the world and its development will be best placed to serve the client. In this moment, adaptability is one of a lawyer’s most essential skills.

Although AI speeds up and sharpens parts of the work, it does not remove the lawyer’s responsibility to think critically or to say out loud when the machine’s answer is not enough. When routines are handled by technology, it becomes clearer where a lawyer’s true strength lies, in interaction, judgement, context and choices. As the technical work accelerates, clients also see more clearly why they want to trust the lawyer who listens, asks questions and understands their situation as a whole.

Legal services are built on trust, and personal interaction sits at the heart of that trust. A client will not always come to the table with a precise question, sometimes they arrive with uncertainty, concern or pressure. The lawyer’s task then goes beyond analysing facts, it is about listening, framing the right questions and reflecting options. A good lawyer can see and articulate the bigger picture behind the client’s situation and help them move forward. That sparring is often just as important as the final legal solution. When a client feels heard, and feels their situation has been understood from their perspective, they gain confidence even when the answers are not simple. That experience does not arise from algorithmic output, it comes from a present human being.

Adaptability is linked to presence. Lawyers must recognise in their work that the law does not operate in a vacuum, it is always connected to the client’s daily reality, strategic goals and decisions. This is why a lawyer has to see not only what the law says, but how it touches the client’s business and what risks and opportunities it brings with it. Often this calls for sensitivity to the client’s needs, concerns and objectives and the ability to tailor legal advice accordingly. That sensitivity does not exist without human encounters.

Because encounters are the core of our work and the best way to build trust, in September we hosted Folks’ 10th anniversary celebration. Over the evening there were real conversations and moments where clients and colleagues shared experiences and views, paused to listen and felt heard themselves. The warm messages we received afterwards reinforced our feeling that we had succeeded in celebrating what makes this work meaningful, connection and encounters. We hope the photos convey that feeling to you as well.

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