The second day of ILTA’s Evolve Conference—a two-day event with just two tracks, AI and Cybersecurity—started with a bang. Zach Abramowitz, founder and CEO of ReplyAll, investor, and thought influencer, delivered a two-hour presentation titled AI in Legal Practice: Insights, Strategies and Practical Applications. Abramowitz spoke at Evolve last year, and it was interesting to see how his thinking on AI has evolved.
It’s tough to speak for two hours and keep an audience engaged, but Abramowitz pulled it off. He made a number of great points, but three in particular stood out to me:
1. GenAI is transforming contingency fee practice—and more.
Abramowitz noted that plaintiffs’ contingency lawyers are embracing GenAI with open arms. That makes sense—time is money for these lawyers. Saving time boosts their return, unlike lawyers who bill by the hour.
But he also made a point that hadn’t occurred to me. With tools like EvenUp, plaintiffs’ lawyers can draft well-written demand letters in a fraction of the time. I’ve written before about tools that help evaluate cases, but now these tools also help lawyers generate and prosecute cases faster and more efficiently. This not only improves returns—it allows lawyers to take on cases that were previously too costly to justify.
According to Abramowitz, the result will be more litigation. GenAI tools let these lawyers scale their operations, further motivating them to file and handle more cases. In fact, I’ve heard several defense lawyers comment that mediocre plaintiffs’ lawyers seem to have miraculously improved their skills. (Of course, it’s not miraculous—it’s just ChatGPT.) Bottom line: instead of decreasing legal work, GenAI may actually increase it.
GenAI’s impact won’t stop at contingency fee practices. It has the potential to disrupt every area of legal work—especially those traditionally seen as too small or low-value to justify legal fees.