Lawyers may soon spend less time opening applications, and more time simply telling AI what needs to happen next. In episode 630 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with innovation strategist Sam Harden about the rise of agentic AI and how tools like ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork could reshape the way legal professionals work.
Unlike a traditional chatbot, an agentic system can operate within a workspace, analyze groups of files, create and update documents, develop plans, and connect information from different sources. That could allow lawyers to access emails, calendars, case materials, research, and practice management information through a single working interface.
Zack and Sam discuss what this means for law firms filled with open Word documents, browser tabs, PDFs, research databases, and disconnected software. They also challenge the idea that AI should perform the most sophisticated legal reasoning while lawyers clean up the formatting. Instead, AI should take on the repetitive administrative work so lawyers can operate at the top of their licenses.
If you want to understand where legal AI is heading beyond prompting and summarization, this episode offers a grounded look at the tools, opportunities, risks, and experiments shaping the next phase of legal work.
Listen to our previous episodes on Agentic AI, Law Firm Workflows & the Future of Legal Work.
#620: What Claude Means for Law Firms, Part 2: Using AI to Practice at the Top of Your License, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN
#619: What Claude Means for Law Firms: AI Skills, Connectors, and Workflow Strategy, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN
#601: Beyond Chatbots: Using Agentic AI in Law Firm Intake, with Matt Spiegel Apple | Spotify | LTN
#581: Agentic AI for Lawyers: Moving Beyond Enhanced Search, with Drew Bloom Apple | Spotify | LTN
#577: Rethinking Law Firm Growth in the Age of AI, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN
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Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction
00:18 – What the World Cup Teaches About Professionalism
05:19 – Meet Sam Harden
06:25 – The “Claudification” of ChatGPT
08:15 – From Chatbot to Agentic Workspace
10:35 – Why ChatGPT Is Following Claude
13:00 – The Shift from Asking to Delegating
14:00 – What Agentic AI Actually Means for Lawyers
17:40 – Making AI the Interface for Legal Work
19:10 – The Future Surface of Work
23:30 – When Your Phone Becomes Your Workspace
25:35 – How Agentic AI Could Transform Law Firms
26:45 – Letting AI Handle the Legal Busywork
29:20 – Operating at the Top of Your License
31:15 – AI Should Format the Work, Not Make the Judgment
34:30 – How Lawyers Can Start Experimenting Safely
37:25 – Closing Thoughts
