Happy Valentine's Day.
Half your calendar is blocked off tonight.
(If not, no worries... we're married to the game too.)
And the other half of your brain is still at the office.
Because this week...
While you were juggling hearings, intake calls, and “quick five-minute chats"...
Here's what happened:
Baker McKenzie, one of the largest firms in the world, confirmed staff cuts.
They cited AI integration as a factor.
But it's not because demand dried up.
Demand is still strong.
It's because efficiency just became non-negotiable.
At the same time:
Axios ran a piece about clients trusting AI tools more and more for legal advice.
You’ve already seen it.
A client walks in and says:
“ChatGPT told me…”
And suddenly you’re not just the attorney.
You’re the fact checker and myth buster.
Meanwhile, the latest U.S. jobs report shows the legal sector still adding roles.
So what’s going on?
Hiring is up.
But back-office roles are being trimmed.
AI adoption is climbing.
And the firms that are adjusting fastest...
They're not stacking new tools on top of each other at random.
They’re reducing friction.
We are right at the beginning of the AI revolution.
Which means:
AI is replacing inefficiency as we speak.
And inefficiency has a face.
It looks like:
The intake coordinator who forgets to follow up unless reminded...
The CRM nobody fully understands...
The partner who still manually reviews every document...
The associate burning out on tasks software could handle...
It looks like you getting home at 9:00 pm thinking:
“I made good money today…
So why does it still feel like things could fall apart at any minute?”
That's an inefficiency problem, not a revenue problem.
Good news, though:
You don't need to be more technical to win with AI.
You don't have to become an AI expert.
But you do need discipline.
To stop tolerating inefficiency.
Automate your workflow.
Systematize the draining parts.
Stay open and informed about AI developments.
And most importantly... execute.
We’ll continue to track the moves you need to make.
Because by the time the market fully realizes what’s happening…
The disciplined operators will already be ahead.
See you next week.
⚖️ Featured Lawyer — Mike Morse
Mike Morse built one of the largest PI firms in Michigan.
Not by working longer hours.
“You can’t grow a law firm by doing everything yourself.”
It’s simple, but uncomfortable.
Because you may still believe this:
“If I don’t check it… it won’t get done right.”
But Mike Morse also said lawyers make this big mistake:
Thinking they’re the only ones who can do it right.
That mindset creates bottlenecks.
Bottlenecks lead to inefficiencies.
And that’s exactly what AI is exposing in 2026.
Firms are being forced to face their inefficiencies and tighten them up with AI.
You scale by removing dependency...
Not by adding more stress.
If you want to hear Mike talk about building structure and getting rid of stress…
Check out his episode on the I Am The Law podcast.
Want to Be Featured?
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Fill out the feature waitlist here:
No cost or strings attached, just spotlighting great firms.
Until next time,
-The Legal Brief