At Cloud Contracts 365, we're dedicated not only to streamlining how tech businesses approach legal risk, contracts, and compliance but also to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the legal industry. With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s time to ask the big question: Will AI replace the lawyer?
Recently, Cloud Contracts 365 founder, Kim Simmonds, sat down for an illuminating podcast episode titled "Will AI Replace The Lawyer?" to explore the rapidly evolving intersection of law and technology. Below, we distil her visionary insights and how they’re shaping our platform and the future of legal services.
For over two decades, she navigated the fast-evolving tech law landscape and witnessed first-hand the growing demand for instant, cost-effective legal guidance. This need inspired her to develop Cloud Contracts 365: a legal AI platform built for tech businesses that want to manage, create, and review contracts efficiently while mitigating risk.
But as Kim points out, the root of legal practice, absorbing mountains of information, drawing from precedent, and applying experience, matches perfectly with what AI excels at. As she asks, "Why can’t AI just do that?"
AI can now digest vast volumes of data and deliver answers at unprecedented speed, mirroring, and in some cases, amplifying the abilities of junior lawyers and legal researchers. In today’s world, ambitious young lawyers can accelerate their learning with these tools in ways that simply weren’t possible a few years ago.
However, as the podcast underscores, human judgment isn’t obsolete just yet. The infamous Colorado case, where attorneys relied on AI-generated "facts" which turned out to be fake, resulted in swift professional consequences. AI systems can hallucinate, and without critical human oversight, mistakes can be catastrophic.
So, what does the next five years hold? Kim Simmonds says the legal workforce will look very different: many traditional roles will fade, but new opportunities in legal oversight, ethical governance, and AI training will rise. Lawyers won’t disappear entirely; instead, they’ll shift focus to safeguarding AI systems, ensuring they don’t propagate bias or produce harmful results, and embedding social values.
Legal professionals will increasingly manage how AI learns—and who decides the values that underpin its decisions. This means collaboration across fields: legal, ethical, technical, and social.
Automated platforms and legal AI technologies like Cloud Contracts 365 will handle a growing share of routine and complex work. Yet many clients, especially the older generation, will likely still value the reassurance of speaking to a trusted legal advisor.
As Kim describes, her law firm remains essential for nuanced advisory work that goes beyond what platforms can automate. The human connection, and the role lawyers play in complex, edge cases, isn’t going away, even as more processes become digitised.
No conversation about AI in law is complete without tackling risk. Data protection, confidentiality, and intellectual property are major concerns, especially as AI platforms process ever-larger volumes of sensitive information. Kim Simmonds urges businesses to understand where their data goes, who owns what, and the far-reaching consequences of using popular AI services without proper guardrails.
At Cloud Contracts 365, we’re embracing this change, building not just for today’s legal needs, but shaping tomorrow’s standards. Our platform empowers users with instant legal insight, but keeps experienced legal minds on hand for when you need them. As the legal industry enters a new era, making smart use of technology, without losing sight of professional responsibility and human values, will be key.
Is AI the future of law? Absolutely. Will lawyers still matter? Yes—especially those willing to adapt, innovate, and safeguard what’s most important.
Want to see how AI can transform your legal processes? Explore Cloud Contracts 365 and don’t hesitate to reach out for tailored advice that combines the best of both worlds: technology and human expertise.
Cloud Contracts 365: Next-generation legal services, powered by technology—guided by real, human expertise.