AI Impact on Law Practice - TECHSHOW 2026 Podcast Recap

Detected April 6th, 2026

Summary

The ABA Law Practice Division published a podcast recap from TECHSHOW 2026 featuring three attorneys discussing Jordan Furlong's keynote on AI's impact on legal practice. Panelists addressed AI capabilities resembling a third-year associate, emerging attorney-client privilege questions, debates on bar exam reform and law school relevance, and ethics concerns including hallucinated legal citations. The discussions encouraged lawyers to develop practical AI skills and adopt firm-wide AI policies.

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What changed

The ABA Law Practice Division released a podcast summarizing ABA TECHSHOW 2026 discussions on artificial intelligence in legal practice. Jordan Furlong's day-one keynote framed AI as capable of performing like a third-year associate ('3L') in certain tasks while being unable to replace courtroom advocacy or the counselor role. Panelists Alan Klevan, Ruby Powers, and Julie Bayes discussed a framework categorizing lawyers as civic, proficient, and human, raised concerns about attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine as applied to AI-generated work, and highlighted real-world ethics problems including hallucinated citations and resulting sanctions.

Legal professionals should view this as informational content identifying emerging practice management challenges rather than binding guidance. The podcast surfaces ongoing industry debates about law school curriculum reform, bar exam elimination or modification, and apprenticeship models as alternatives to traditional legal education. No regulatory compliance deadlines or penalties are established. The content serves as a preview of topics likely to feature prominently at ABA TECHSHOW 2027.

Source document (simplified)

Live from ABA TECHSHOW 2026, the Law Practice podcast shares three perspectives on Jordan Furlong’s day-one keynote. Alan Klevan calls the talk motivating and terrifying, emphasizing that AI can act like a “3L” but cannot replace courtroom advocacy or the counselor role, and he urges firm-wide AI policies plus a residency-style training model for new lawyers amid emerging privilege and work-product questions. Ruby Powers highlights Furlong’s framework of civic, proficient, and human lawyers, connecting the civic role to community work and the rule-of-law theme, and raising concerns about law school graduates’ readiness and future needed proficiencies. Julie Bayes focuses on rapid AI-driven change, debates about apprenticeships, law school relevance, and eliminating the bar exam, and notes ongoing real-world ethics problems like hallucinated citations and sanctions, while encouraging lawyers to learn practical AI use and attend TECHSHOW 2027.

Speakers

Terrell A Turner

Terrell A Turner, CPA is the founder of the NY Times recognized accounting firm www.TLTurnerGroup.com. He is a 3x top CPA in America, and a 2x Top 20 Global Finance Influencer. His accounting firm focuses on making...

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Alan Klevan

Alan Klevan, Attorney, Law Offices of Alan J. Klevan, Framingham, Massachusetts. Alan is the principal of The Law Offices of Alan J. Klevan, P.C., in Framingham, Massachusetts. He concentrates in the fields of workers'...

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Julie Bays

Oklahoma Bar Association

Julie A. Bays started her legal career at the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office in 2002, where she specialized in prosecuting antitrust and consumer protection cases. Her commitment to the public interest extended beyond the...

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Ruby Lichte Powers

Powers Law Group, P.C.

Ruby L. Powers is the founder of Powers Law Group, P.C., a Houston-based, full-service immigration law firm and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law. Ruby is a graduate of the University of North...

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Named provisions

AI as a 3L: Capabilities and Limitations Civic, Proficient, and Human Lawyers Framework Privilege and Work-Product Questions Bar Exam and Apprenticeship Debates Hallucinated Citations and Ethics Concerns Firm-Wide AI Policy Recommendations