I recently asked ChatGPT what the current and near future impact of artificial intelligence on the legal community would be. The answer? Something law schools, bar associations, and currently licensed attorneys absolutely do not want to hear. Right now, AI already empowers reasonably intelligent individuals to research case law, generate legally sound documents with proper citations, and construct persuasive legal arguments. We’re not talking about vague suggestions or boilerplate forms—AI can now provide targeted strategies tailored to specific jurisdictions and court procedures. And it’s improving by the second. So what does the near future look like? A full-scale disruption. AI is poised to dismantle the gatekeeping structure that’s kept legal services outrageously expensive and out of reach for most people. The monopoly that lawyers and law schools have enjoyed for generations is cracking. The high costs of litigation—once the exclusive domain of licensed professionals—are about ...