The Future of Law Firm Business Models in the Age of AI, with Jordan Furlong

About this episode

The episode discusses how AI is transforming law firm business models and the implications for lawyers' roles and billing practices.

AI is more than just another tool for lawyers. It may fundamentally change how law firms make money. In episode #607 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with legal industry analyst Jordan Furlong about the shifting economics of law practice and what happens as AI begins doing work lawyers once billed for. Jordan explains why the traditional law firm model built on billable hours and human effort is starting to break down as legal workflows become automated. Together, they explore how AI may shift lawyers away from producing legal work and toward supervising systems, validating outcomes, and delivering the one thing machines cannot easily replicate: judgment under uncertainty. The future of law practice may depend less on expertise and more on qualities machines struggle to replicate such as judgment, character, and the ability to guide clients through uncertainty. The conversation also explores why hourly billing may no longer make sense in an AI-driven world, how firms can rethink pricing around outcomes and client experience, and why smaller firms may adapt more quickly. If the billable hour fades and AI begins handling the routine “widgets” of legal work, the…

People in this episode

Host: Stephanie Everett

Guest: Jordan Furlong

Topics covered

• AI in law
• law firm business models
• billable hours
• legal automation
• future of legal practice
• pricing strategies
• lawyer's value

Keywords

• artificial intelligence
• law firms
• business models
• legal work
• hourly billing
• automation
• client experience
• judgment
• legal industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lawyerist.com

More episodes of Lawyerist Podcast

• From Practice to Asset: Building a Law Firm with Real Value, with Tom Lenfestey · June 11, 2026 · 41 min
• Stop Calling Them VAs: How to Build a High-Performing Remote Legal Team, with Raquel Gomes · June 9, 2026 · 28 min
• What Claude Means for Law Firms, Part 2: Using AI to Practice at the Top of Your License, with Sam Harden · June 4, 2026 · 49 min
• What Claude Means for Law Firms: AI Skills, Connectors, and Workflow Strategy, with Sam Harden · May 28, 2026 · 40 min
• AI and Legal Ethics: Protecting Client Privacy in a Changing Legal System, with Sunny Eaton · May 21, 2026 · 37 min
• AI for Law Firm Growth: Building Smarter Systems and Better Business Decisions, with Conrad Saam · May 14, 2026 · 34 min