How do I keep my hours billable with GenAI?

GenX attorneys often recall tedious, time-consuming early associate tasks. These tasks typically include manually reviewing paper due diligence with minimal direction, learning practice nuances through exhaustive reading, and validating case law.

They learned by doing — but they weren’t doing anything interesting. It takes a long time to develop expertise. In that time, associates learn the law and rack up billable hours.
In the past 25 years, new technology has emerged to streamline many aspects of legal work. That includes more sophisticated online research, virtual deal rooms, legal know-how content, and more.

Law firms have taken successive innovations in stride. “A quick examination of the past 40 years or so provides myriad examples showing that innovation doesn’t necessarily stifle law firm profitability,” says William Josten, Senior Manager of Enterprise Content for Legal at the Thomson Reuters Institute.

With generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) starting to create big waves in how legal professionals approach their work, many are wondering how newer attorneys will learn their craft — and how they’ll earn their keep if it takes far less time to complete their assignments.

Associates and their law firms are adapting to the new paradigm as associates take on higher-level work, and attorneys at all levels learn how GenAI can support their success. Some firms are considering alternative fee arrangements to capture the value of the matter regardless of the time it takes to complete it. For now, though, most associates are still tied to billable hour requirements. We’ll look at how you can develop your professional skills in the age of AI and create value through the billable hour.

Taking control of your development

It’s tempting to look at law firm training programs for the new playbook. However, professional development teams know that only about 10% of a person’s skills come from formal training programs. Another 20% comes from coaching and feedback. The rest — a full 70% — comes from experiential learning.

As you consider your development, pay attention to your technological and legal expertise. You’ll want to know how to use new legal GenAI tools quickly and efficiently to deliver great work. But you’ll also need to know what great legal work looks like. That means knowing an area of the law, an industry, or a major client very well to deeply understand needs and opportunities. You need to give proactive advice, find new angles and ideas, and use GenAI tools to provide better client service consistently.

Here are some ways firms are adapting their approach to each mode of learning. Take advantage of programs and exercises like these to grow your technological and legal acumen in the AI-powered practice of law.

Experiential learning in the age of AI

As AI takes on routine work, you need to get more creative about opportunities to learn on the job. The industry is moving from a “learn by repetition” model to a “learn by guided challenge” approach. New modes of learning help you get to the same level of expertise in new ways — maybe even faster. Here are some examples:

• Curated project rotations. Associates gain exposure to complex, high-context work earlier. They partner with senior attorneys on matters that require judgment, strategy, or negotiation.
• AI plus human projects. Associates review or enhance AI-generated outputs — like refining a contract draft — so they can spot risks and add nuance.
• Client shadowing and debriefing. Associates sit in on client calls, then write reflections and propose the next steps.
• Know-how tools. Associates access know-how tools that guide them through matters and help them get up to speed in new areas of the law. Accelerate learning and work product development with AI-powered tools from Practical Law.

Coaching and feedback

Coaching and feedback have always been crucial to attorneys’ development. Sometimes these are brutal critiques and redlines from a frustrated partner. In the best cases, this feedback positively supports learning and growth. Many people believe that human oversight will be critical for attorneys just learning the ropes with GenAI.  Law firms are likely to pair AI adoption with structured supervision and mentoring to ensure associates still develop core legal judgment.

Here are some ways firms provide feedback opportunities to associates: 

• Peer learning circles. Associates can work together to develop AI skills and legal acumen. Everyone shares examples of how AI was used to create culture and address specific legal issues.  
• Regular coaching on AI use. Create feedback loops with more experienced attorneys not just about legal analysis but about how associates interact with GenAI tools. 
• Mentor pairing with tech-savvy seniors. Pair younger associates with more experienced lawyers who embrace AI to help balance legal insight with tech-enabled practice. 
• AI tools for real-time feedback. Deploy systems like Praktio, which give users a chance to practice their legal work product with realistic exercises and immediate feedback. Tools like Microsoft Copilot can help teach associates how to interact with AI tools effectively, including prompt suggestions and feedback on outputs.

Formal learning

Your firm’s professional development team is likely working with practice leaders and other partners to facilitate some of the new modes of experiential learning and feedback discussed in the previous sections. They are also developing formal training opportunities to help you understand fundamental legal and business practices. In the age of AI, this might include the following:

• AI literacy programs. Develop skills in prompt engineering, AI risks, and ethical use of GenAI.
• Scenario-based simulations. Run mock deals or cases where associates guide a matter with AI support and receive feedback from partners. 
• Legal design and innovation workshops. Associates learn how to solve client problems creatively, not just interpret the law. 
• On-demand video training. Attorneys often have access through a firm-wide subscription to high-quality video training to help them understand new legal concepts or practices. Ask if your firm has resources like this, so you can learn details of specific practice areas or matter types.

Beefing up your billable hours

As AI fulfills its promise of enabling you to get more done faster, you may wonder what you’ll do with the leftover time. What should you learn about or do to stand out in your practice group or firmwide?

As AI eliminates or reduces many routine, time-consuming tasks, you’ll find more time to:

• Engage in deeper case analysis 
• Develop specialized expertise 
• Contribute to more strategic work

That ends up being good news for your overall satisfaction. Associates in AI-forward firms report greater satisfaction and retention — a sign that using the freed-up time for meaningful work, rather than just faster output, enhances career prospects.

Focus on high-value work

Strategic, non-routine work will be the differentiator for legal professionals going forward. Clients won’t want to pay for hours of scut work, so associates should aim to become experts in judgment-heavy tasks, problem-solving, and client advisory work — all less replicable by AI.

By offloading up to 80% of the time it takes to complete tasks like deposition review or medical record analysis, your time is available for strategic tasks. Options might include case development, legal advising, and critical thinking. You may also tackle non-automatable tasks like case development, client advocacy, negotiation, and storytelling — work that is billable and valuable.

Accelerate skill development

Spending less time on automatable tasks means you can go deeper in a certain practice area faster, or you can cross-train in new practice areas. You also have time to explore new service models, such as:

1. Upskilling. Focus on building knowledge and expertise in your primary practice area. This includes creating more effective legal documents and better litigation strategies and lowering legal risks — all of which enhance client outcomes beyond just speed or cost.  
2. Cross-training. With GenAI making information and research more accessible, you can become proficient across multiple domains and expand your capabilities. Use know-how tools like Practical Law to accelerate your learning. 
3. Exploring new service models. Associates can help design new, AI-enabled legal service offerings like regulatory health checks or contract management systems, expanding your business acumen and deepening your understanding of your clients’ industries.

Strengthen client relationships and build business muscle

Now that you’re spending less time locked in a virtual deal room, you can spend more time with clients, shadowing partners, and getting to know the businesses and industries you serve. That might mean sitting in on meetings, reading up on the client’s news clippings, press releases, and earnings calls, learning industry jargon and trends, or researching regulatory issues. Client relationship strategies include:

Getting to know your clients. When you meet with clients, take note of the legal issues as well as how the client communicates. What do they emphasize? Where are they frustrated? It’s helpful to note what matters to them both emotionally and strategically, as emotions can run high in high-stakes matters.  If your supervising attorney wants you to take the lead in a meeting, be sure to ask questions that go beyond the legal factors. Try asking what success looks like for the client, and how the current issues affect that success. It will help with writing recommendations, and it may help extend your relationship with the client beyond this specific matter.
Framing your advice. As you develop documents and guidance for a client, take the extra steps to connect your legal advice to business impact. Consider both what’s legal and what’s practical and be sure to offer options. Take note of the client’s priorities, so you can frame your advice in terms that matter to them.  
Get feedback. Debrief with your supervising attorney to make sure you have interpreted the client’s needs and industry properly. Find out if your guidance is aligned with what the client needs and what opportunities you must tailor. 
Growing the business. Take note of what you learned about the client and their needs throughout the matter and consider how that insight can support your business development efforts. Can you and the firm do more for that client? Are there similar clients in the industry you could start to woo based on your previous success?

Support pricing innovation

According to Jason Winmill, Chair of The Buying Legal Council, “If GenAI can produce the efficiency gains that are being touted, it may set off a complete rethinking of how legal work is carried out, priced, and valued.” He points to the incredible budget pressure legal departments are experiencing and their desire to capture the efficiencies of AI to bring costs down.

You can support your firm's evolution by contributing to innovative service design under alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), helping bridge the gap between efficiency and value. You can help identify process inefficiencies, support accurate scoping, and adopt a value-focused mindset. By thinking like a service designer, collaborating across functions, and leveraging technology, you can help streamline delivery while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

Tools, mentors, and a willingness to try new things

The legal industry is approaching a significant shift in the way associates learn their craft and show their value. As an associate, you will do well to remember a few key themes:

1. The legal industry has a history of adapting to new technologies and maintaining profitability. 
2. Some tools can make your job easier and accelerate learning. Learn them and decide how you want to incorporate them into your practice. 
3. Finding other ways to develop your legal expertise frees up time for you to deepen your strategic and client-facing capabilities. 
4. Mentors will be crucial to validating your legal learning and developing your client and business development skills. Keep the humans in the loop as much as possible.

The billable hour model is still with us, and it’s tempting to feel concerned about AI eating up opportunities to meet your quota. Don’t give in to temptation. There is opportunity in any new paradigm, and you’ll likely find that if you embrace the shift, you can show real value and grow right along with the industry.

Learn more about CoCounsel, the GenAI legal assistant with more specialized skills and an unmatched depth of content expertise.