I agree with this. A lot of law firms are themselves investing heavily in AI precisely to rationalise this "lookup" layer and thus increase the profitability of

I agree with this. A lot of law firms are themselves investing heavily in AI precisely to rationalise this "lookup" layer and thus increase the profitability of their core work. One challenge this throws up is that, currently, those employed in the lookup layer are usually junior lawyers who are gaining experience and confidence before they can go on to perform the more valuable work of drafting complex contracts, constructing novel arguments etc. If law firms automate away the lookup layer, they will actually need to re-think their approach to how they utilise junior lawyers. They'll still need to employ them, as they are the valuable lawyers of tomorrow, but unless they can re-deploy them to other useful tasks during that phase of their careers, the upside to automation is limited.