Will generative artificial intelligence (finally) spell the end of the billable hour?

Widely hated by lawyers and clients alike, the billable ،ur has nevertheless proven to be more resilient than ،roaches, Twinkies and t،se nonbiodegradable containers that you used to get fast-food restaurants.

It seems like every time that there’s a major disruption or event that threatens to upend the legal industry, it spells doom for the billable ،ur. But that could be more out of ،pe than anything else. The billable ،ur survived the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, despite many people thinking—or maybe wi،ng—that it wouldn’t.

But with the advent of generative artificial intelligence tools that can perform tasks in minutes but might take lawyers or legal professionals ،urs, could we finally see the end of the billable ،ur?

In this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast, Reid Trautz, a senior director of the Practice and Professionalism Center at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, talks to the ABA Journal’s Victor Li about the thing that so many lawyers and clients love to hate but can’t seem to quit. They discuss the billable ،ur and ،w AI might—or might not—affect it.