AI Fluency for In-House Counsel: What It Means for Your Practice—and Your Career
By: Nancy Palermo
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how legal work gets done. But for in-house lawyers, an increasingly important question is emerging alongside the technology itself: What does it actually mean to be AI fluent?
That was the focus of a recent ACC National Capital Region Career Development program, AI Fluency and Marketability for In-House Counsel: How to Build Skills That Set You Apart, presented in collaboration with Garrison.
The discussion featured Amy Apostol, Assistant General Counsel, Cyber & Emerging Technologies at Leidos; Deb Eltgroth, Associate General Counsel at ClickHouse; and Bo Vazeen, Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon. I moderated the program on behalf of Garrison.
Several common themes emerged about what AI fluency means, how lawyers can develop it, and why it is becoming increasingly important to an in-house lawyer’s marketability.
AI Fluency Does Not Mean Becoming a Technologist
One of the most important takeaways was also one of the simplest: lawyers do not need to become engineers or programmers to become AI fluent.
Instead, fluency begins with understanding what tools are available, what they can and cannot do, and which tools are appropriate for a particular task.
Just as lawyers learned to incorporate email, electronic legal research and document-management systems into their practices, AI is increasingly becoming another tool lawyers need to understand and use effectively.
The level of technical knowledge required will vary by role. A technology transactions, cybersecurity or privacy lawyer may need a deeper understanding of how AI systems operate because those issues intersect directly with their substantive practice. Other lawyers may need less technical depth.
But virtually every in-house lawyer can benefit from understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI and developing proficiency with the tools available to them.
The Best Way to Build AI Fluency? Use It.
For lawyers who feel behind the curve, the panel offered straightforward advice: start small.
AI is developing so rapidly that even sophisticated users are continually learning. The objective is not to master every new tool but to build the habit of experimentation.
Look at your existing workload and ask:
Where am I spending my time—and could AI help me do any of it more efficiently or effectively?
The panelists described using AI as a first-draft generator, proofreader, and sounding board; to summarize and query source materials; to analyze agreements; to review regulations; and to identify inconsistencies across policies. They also discussed more sophisticated applications, including building internal tools and workflows to answer recurring legal questions.
Not every experiment will work. Trying a tool and concluding that it does not improve a particular task is still valuable. It teaches you something about the technology's capabilities and limitations—and may lead to better ideas about where it could be useful.
The bigger mistake is not experimenting at all.
Use AI to Enhance Legal Judgment, Not Replace It
Efficiency cannot come at the expense of quality. AI can help lawyers work faster, but producing more work quickly is not useful if the quality of the legal advice deteriorates. The lawyer remains accountable for the work product.
That means reviewing and pressure-testing AI-generated output, confirming accuracy and applying the same professional judgment that would apply to work produced without AI assistance. Keeping the “human in the loop” remains critical.
The same applies to confidentiality, privilege, cybersecurity, and data governance. Lawyers need to understand which tools their organizations have approved, where information entered into those tools goes, how it may be retained or used, and what protections apply.
For in-house lawyers, responsible AI adoption therefore requires two complementary skills: a willingness to experiment and an ability to recognize when caution is required.
AI Fluency Can Make You More Valuable in Your Current Role
The career value of AI fluency is not limited to finding your next job.
Legal departments are routinely being asked to do more with limited resources. Lawyers who can identify ways to improve workflows, eliminate repetitive work, and use technology to help their teams operate more effectively can distinguish themselves internally. And you do not need to be the General Counsel to do it.
A junior or mid-level lawyer can identify a recurring pain point, experiment with a better process, participate in an AI or governance working group, collaborate with technology and business colleagues, or simply become the person on the team who understands how to use an available tool effectively.
Those experiences can demonstrate initiative, curiosity, business judgment, collaboration, and an ability to think differently about how legal services are delivered.
AI Fluency Is Beginning to Matter in the Job Market
AI experience is also beginning to enter the hiring conversation.
Expectations vary by company, industry and seniority. In my recruiting practice, I am increasingly seeing CEOs and CFOs raise AI-related questions when interviewing General Counsel candidates. At leading technology companies, those questions can arise at the AGC level as well.
Importantly, hiring managers are not necessarily looking for candidates who can build an AI application. They are looking for evidence that a lawyer is engaged with the technology, understands its relevance to legal practice, and has thought critically about how to use it.
Candidates should be prepared to answer questions such as:
How are you currently using AI in your legal practice?
Can you give me an example of a legal workflow you have improved using AI?
How do you determine when AI is—and is not—appropriate for a particular legal task?
How have you addressed the risks associated with generative AI?
Even an unsuccessful experiment can be a good answer. Explaining where you tested AI, found that it did not improve the work and decided not to use it can demonstrate judgment and genuine engagement with the technology.
The differentiator is not simply using AI. It is being able to explain what you tried, what you learned and what impact it had.
Don't Put "AI Fluency" on Your Résumé and Stop There
That distinction is particularly important when positioning yourself for the job market.
It is fine to include artificial intelligence among your skills. But simply listing “Artificial Intelligence” or “Generative AI” tells an employer very little. Instead, demonstrate what you have actually done.
For example:
“Led implementation of generative AI tools within the legal department, including development of use cases and protocols addressing confidentiality and responsible use.”
Or:
“Leveraged generative AI to streamline contract review and drafting workflows which improved legal department efficiency.”
The same principle applies to LinkedIn. AI experience can be incorporated in your About section and individual job descriptions, as well as through relevant projects, courses, certifications and thought leadership.
The objective is not to brand yourself as an AI expert if you are not one. It is to show that you are learning, experimenting, and applying the technology in meaningful ways.
The Skills That Matter Most Are Still Lawyer Skills
Perhaps the most reassuring conclusion from the panel was that AI does not diminish the importance of traditional lawyering skills. In many respects, it makes them more important.
Issue spotting. Critical thinking. Pattern recognition. Curiosity. Judgment. Understanding risk. Asking good questions. Communicating clearly. Knowing when something does not look right.
AI changes the tools available to lawyers, but those fundamental skills remain essential.
The lawyers who are likely to benefit most from AI will not necessarily be those with the greatest technical knowledge. They will be the lawyers who combine sound legal judgment with a willingness to learn, experiment, and rethink how work gets done.
For in-house counsel thinking about their professional development, the message is straightforward: start using the tools available to you, develop your judgment about where they add value, and build concrete experiences you can talk about.
And when it comes to your career, don't simply claim AI fluency. Demonstrate it.
Want to hear more? Watch the full program here:
Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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