Have you ever looked at a legal task that used to take half a day and wondered, “If this now takes minutes, what exactly am I being paid for?” That quiet question sits in the background for many in-house lawyers right now. With the rise of In-House Counsel AI, it has become unavoidable. This shift does not question the value of legal judgment. Instead, it forces a reset in how value gets created, perceived, and delivered inside legal departments.
This moment is less about technology and more about leverage. That theme surfaced clearly in a recent conversation with guest speaker Damien Riehl, a lawyer and legal technologist who studies how automation and data reshape legal work. He framed AI not as a replacement for in-house counsel, but as a force that changes what the business expects and how fast those expectations appear. For teams using In-House Counsel AI, daily legal realities already look different.
Watch the full conversation with Damien Riehl:
How AI Changes Speed and Expectations
For years, legal departments shared an assumption with the business that some things simply take time. Research required hours. Drafting needed days. Reviews stacked up in queues. AI quietly broke that assumption. When a task that once took ten hours now finishes in minutes, the business does not just see efficiency. It sees opportunity.
That shift lands directly on in-house counsel using AI. You no longer get measured only by accuracy or risk avoidance. Leaders now watch how quickly legal helps the business move forward with confidence. AI accelerates the work and removes old buffers. The real question becomes what insight, judgment, or strategy legal adds on top of speed.
Where Legal Value Is Really Moving
One of the most important implications for in-house legal professionals is that value moves away from execution and toward decision-making. AI can surface information, draft language, and flag issues. It cannot decide what matters most to the business in a specific moment.
Here, legal leadership becomes visible. In-house counsel who use AI effectively frame issues clearly, prioritize risks intelligently, and translate legal complexity into business direction. The work changes from producing legal output to shaping outcomes. This change feels subtle at first, but it reshapes how legal earns influence.
Cost Pressure, Legal Operations, and In-House Counsel AI
AI also transforms the cost conversation. When tools lower the cost of legal work, the business expects those savings to appear somewhere. Sometimes that means handling more internally. Other times it means reducing reliance on outside counsel. Either way, in-house counsel using AI sit at the center of these choices.
This challenge goes beyond legal operations. It tests leadership. Deciding where legal time belongs, when external expertise makes sense, and how to price risk internally all affect credibility. AI makes these tradeoffs visible and difficult to postpone.
The In-House Counsel AI Opportunity Most Teams Miss
What often gets lost in the AI discussion is the leverage this moment creates for in-house lawyers who lean in. Faster work allows earlier engagement. Lower costs allow broader coverage. When information becomes abundant, judgment becomes scarce.
In-house counsel who embrace AI tools gain influence rather than lose it. They become trusted advisors who help the business decide what to do next, not gatekeepers who explain why something cannot happen.
The takeaway is simple. AI is not asking in-house lawyers to work less or justify their existence. It asks them to step more fully into leadership. Those who respond will find their role becomes more central, not less, as legal departments evolve.
Watch the full conversation here: Notes to My (Legal) Self: Season 9, Episode 2 (ft. Damien Riehl)
Join the Conversation
At Notes to My (Legal) Self®, we’re dedicated to helping in-house legal professionals develop the skills, insights, and strategies needed to thrive in today’s evolving legal landscape. From leadership development to legal operations optimization and emerging technology, we provide the tools to help you stay ahead.
What’s been your biggest breakthrough moment in your legal career? Let’s talk about it—share your story.
