So… Will junior associate positions even exist when I graduate? Or will AI kill my job security?

Rising 2L — finished 1L top 6 in the class. Feeling very proud and excited for the future. I’m currently working at a firm and having a blast. I am scared, though.

So much of what the partner I work under gives me to do is conceptually difficult at some level but made so shockingly simple and easy with AI that I don’t even know how and/or why I have a job… or why any hiring firm would ever choose to hire an associate attorney now AND ESPECIALLY when I graduate? Claude and LEXIS AI’s Protege combined have effectively done (A) All the research for me at a significantly higher level than I could ever do and (B) Taken my drafted motions (even an entire summary judgment packet I authored) and turned it into something so much better than I had previously done. The lead attorney on the summary judgment case literally commended me on it being so clean and I just admitted that it’s barely even my work anymore. How am I going to sit and look at the partner and tell him, “yep, the 1L with no experience somehow authored a summary judgment packet you barely needed to edit…” Lexis made it what it was and that’s why he liked it. There’s no way around it.

I guess I’m just slightly confused AND VERY WORRIED ABOUT MY JOB SECURITY!