Welcome to Attorney Intelligence, where we break down the biggest advancements in AI for legal professionals every week.

Earlier this week I ran a poll on LinkedIn:

As suspected, most don’t believe the current list will hold.

In fact we’re entering an era of real volatility in the legal world. The Am Law 100 won’t be immune.

What we’re truly witnessing is an economic and structural shift that will redraw the map of who stays on top and who fades out.

There’s a great divergence forming: firms that are leaning into AI will accelerate upward. Those that don’t, or can’t, will fall further behind.

In this week’s Attorney Intelligence, we’ll explore:

1. Why the Am Law 100 may shrink dramatically in the next decade

2. Trust may still be a lifeline for some legacy firms

3. How firms can prepare for an AI-first legal future

4. Harvey isn’t just a vendor - they’re the new leverage model

Let’s dive in.

A Coming Collapse in the Rankings

There’s a serious shakeup coming. Of the current Am Law 100, I predict maybe 30–60 firms will still be on that list in a decade.

The pace of AI development is simply too fast for many firms to adapt.

Those that can’t move quickly enough will lose clients and talent, and that’s a compounding problem. Lagging behind becomes a trap.

At the same time, we’re going to see new entrants eating into market share:

ALSPs that are more agile and tech-nativeAI-powered startups delivering full-stack legal servicesNimble boutiques and midsize firms punching up with AI leverage

The list will compress as the opportunity shifts.

Why Trust Still Matters

There’s still a path for some of the largest firms to thrive, even as the tech wave hits. The key is trust.

Legal services are sticky. The relationships that top-tier firms have built over decades won’t disappear overnight. Even if AI handles much of the grunt work, clients will still look to known entities when the stakes are high.

In fact, the most trusted firms that also adopt AI may end up with a double advantage: modern workflows and brand equity.

High Headcount is a Dying Model

The current law firm model relies on stacking human labor. Partners at the top, associates doing the work underneath. This is the economic engine.

But it’s not compatible with the AI-powered future. Law firms will have to rethink how they scale. Technology, not headcount, will become the new leverage.

To adapt, firms should begin:

• Auditing workflows to identify repeatable, automatable processes

• Rethinking pricing models away from hourly billing to outcome or value-based structures

• Redesigning compensation and career ladders that account for human contribution from non-human sources

Disruptors are the New Leverage

This is where companies like Harvey come in.

Harvey is not just a vendor. It represents the foundational infrastructure for the next generation of legal firms. With the combination of deep capital and strategic industry partnerships, companies like Harvey have no problem embedding themselves directly into the legal ecosystem.

Tomorrow’s top firms will be built on platforms like Harvey, not just with it.  What once were innovative experimental tools are quickly becoming the foundational roots for the firms of tomorrow.

The Takeaway

Most firms will adapt. But many will be too late.

Over the next decade the conversation is going to shift from replacing lawyers to AI redrawing the boundaries of who gets to be a “top firm.”

This isn’t just a tech shift, it’s a trust shift, a workforce shift, and a business model overhaul.

If you're in the Am Law 100 today, you might not be in it tomorrow. Unless you start building with the right leverage now.

Legal Bytes

Here are the latest updates in legal tech and AI:

Harvey x LexisNexis announced a new strategic data partnership similar to their recent tie-up with iManage turning integrations into true infrastructure.

Harvey raises $300M Series E, setting the stage for deeper industry entrenchment.

Eazewell partners with LegalZoom, aiming to simplify end-of-life planning with AI - a consumer-facing example of how AI is entering the legal mainstream.

DISCO launches an AI-powered review tool capable of handling 32,000 documents per hour pointing to a future of hyperspeed document review at scale.