Kennedys is rethinking lawyer training as AI automates junior-level tasks

Kennedys has warned that AI "threatens to erode" the junior-level tasks that have long underpinned legal training, as it launches a new programme designed to give young lawyers the fundamental skills they need as AI automates entry level work.

Developed with Canadian legal AI company Spellbook, the initiative will pilot later this year in the UK and US. It will train juniors using AI-assisted drafting exercises and "simulated scenarios" to replicate traditionally junior-level work such as first-draft contract preparation and document review. Participants will receive AI-generated feedback on their performance, mirroring the traditional coaching role of senior colleagues.

It comes as the firm says such routine tasks - long considered essential building blocks for junior lawyers - "may start to disappear in the workplace" due to the rise of automation, leaving new lawyers without hands-on exposure necessary to develop core skills.

Kennedys say the programme is one of the first large-scale initiatives in the industry to address AI’s impact on early-career training.

In good company

Spellbook is known for its Microsoft Word add-in, which uses AI to review, redline and draft contracts, as well as "Associate" - heralded as the first AI agent for law when it launched last year - which is designed to handle work typically done by junior lawyers.

The company, founded in 2022, says its tools are now used by more than 3,500 legal teams in 80 countries, including eBay, Nestlé and BDO. It raised a $20 million Series A round last year.

What they said

John Bruce, Senior Partner, says: "As AI accelerates change across the legal sector, we have a responsibility to ensure junior lawyers aren’t left behind. This programme is about creating AI-fluent lawyers: professionals who can combine deep legal reasoning with the ability to work seamlessly alongside AI tools.

"Our collaboration with Spellbook is a forward-looking investment in the profession’s future, putting our people first whilst addressing head-on the efficiency opportunities and gaps that AI and automation are creating."