the Zealous

A cruise down any major interstate highway in the US will expose the driver to countless lawyer billboard ads. It’s a good bet that lawyers are among the most prolific billboard advertisers in the country.

In fact, the ads have reached the point where those most exposed to them—long-haul truckers—are taking action in opposition: Truckers fight back against ‘big truck wreck’ attorney billboards.

Most ads are cheesy and unremarkable. However, a few stand out:

Just because you did it doesn’t mean you’re guilty

Injured? Don’t pull your hair out. Mybaldlawyer.com

DUI/DWI Defense: 1-800-NOT-DRUNK

Don’t hire a lawyer from just billboards or TV!

Trust me! I’m a lawyer, my dogs do (accompanying photo of lawyer with his two beagles)

Call me. I’m a lawyer. I’m on a billboard.

In the TV series Goliath (Amazon Prime), Billy Bob Thornton plays Billy McBride, a badass but disgraced trial lawyer excommunicated from the massive firm that he founded. The show is about how Billy plots his attempt at redemption and revenge.

There's a scene in which Billy is prepping a deponent, his own witness, and conveys his five rules for depositions:

Just as lawyers can over-delegate work to subordinates, they can also under-delegate, causing them to serve their clients less efficiently. In the context of artificial intelligence, one can imagine underutilization of AI – for example, a lawyer not using AI even though it could help that lawyer serve the client better.

In fact, given some of the psychological attributes commonly associated with lawyers – a focus on detail, a desire for control, an aversion to risk – the greater danger might very well be underutilization of, rather than overreliance upon, artificial intelligence.

In the majority of US states, a lawyer's duty of competence includes an obligation to be up on the latest technologies.