Meet Juliet Astbury, Shareholder and Practice Group Leader at Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, a seasoned expert in corporate law, specializing in private mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions. With a career spanning the UK, Middle East, and U.S., she advises clients ranging from family-owned businesses to global private equity firms, blending global insights with a personalized approach. Her work focuses on balancing efficiency with bespoke guidance, ensuring clients achieve their strategic goals.
This February, Juliet will join Day 1’s panel, “AI Adoption in Law Firms: A Pragmatic Overview of the Barriers and Opportunities,” at Future Contracts Miami. As a thought leader, she’ll discuss with fellow industry leaders on how AI is reshaping client-lawyer relationships, the ethical considerations around its use, and the immense potential of AI to streamline processes while enhancing strategic partnerships.
Juliet’s insights, grounded in both practical experience and forward-thinking strategies, promise to bring a fresh perspective to this myth-busting discussion. Enjoy her fantastic interview until Future Contracts Miami!
How can AI-driven contract standardization reshape the relationship between law firms, in-house legal teams, and their clients, especially in balancing efficiency with personalized legal service?
AI-driven contract standardization will challenge law firms to redefine how they add value for their clients. Traditionally, providing in-house counsel with access to standard forms and precedent documents has been a hallmark of value-added service. However, as AI automates and democratizes access to these tools, this alone will no longer suffice.
What will set top-tier law firms apart is their ability to discern what is and isn’t market, paired with tailoring advice to align with each client’s specific needs and circumstances. This personalized approach—rooted in deep industry knowledge and a nuanced understanding of client priorities—will remain essential. In the age of AI, the human element of legal service, including strategic insight and bespoke guidance, will be the foundation of strong and enduring client relationships.
As law firms and in-house teams increasingly use AI in contract negotiation, what ethical, operational, and strategic considerations are essential to maintain client trust and accountability?
From an operational perspective, over-reliance on AI in contract negotiation could create significant knowledge gaps for future generations of lawyers. Much of the foundational skill development for junior attorneys comes from negotiating seemingly simple agreements, like non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). These exercises provide a relatively low-risk environment to learn critical negotiation skills, which form the bedrock of an associate’s growth. If straightforward documents like NDAs become fully automated, junior lawyers may miss out on these vital training opportunities, leaving them less prepared for more complex negotiations.
The greatest challenge AI faces in this space is trust—both from clients and the lawyers using the tools. No attorney wants to be the first to test a new or unproven AI product, given the risks involved. A tool that doesn’t function as intended could jeopardize both client trust and valuable time, which lawyers—being naturally risk-averse—are unlikely to gamble with. This hesitancy creates a barrier to widespread adoption.
Strategically, AI tools also face limitations in contexts where negotiation outcomes are shaped by unique deal dynamics or the relative leverage of the parties. For example, in M&A transactions, negotiated terms often deviate from standard approaches based on specific deal circumstances. While AI can streamline tasks like drafting NDAs or managing diligence processes, it is unlikely to fully capture the nuanced, strategic trade-offs inherent in such negotiations. Relying solely on AI in these scenarios could inadvertently lead to parties forfeiting key strategic advantages, underscoring the need for human oversight in complex dealmaking.
With legal operations leveraging AI tools, how can in-house teams and law firms ensure that AI adoption strengthens, rather than diminishes, their role as strategic business partners within their organizations?
Once the trust barrier is overcome, the potential for leveraging AI tools in the legal space is immense. A key target area is legal diligence review—a task that clients are often reluctant to pay for and junior lawyers are generally not eager to take on. By utilizing AI to streamline these labor-intensive processes, legal teams can focus on more strategic elements of a project. This not only shortens timelines but also reduces legal spend for in-house teams and clients, ultimately strengthening their role as strategic business partners.
What are you most looking forward to hearing or experiencing at Future Contracts Miami?
I’m particularly eager to hear how others have successfully incorporated AI tools into their practices and, just as importantly, how they’ve persuaded their teams to embrace and effectively use these technologies. Learning from their experiences will be invaluable as we continue to navigate this evolving landscape.
With the event set in Miami, there’s so much to explore! From food and unique experiences to stunning sights, is there a particular spot or activity in Miami that you’re especially excited about?
The sunshine, without a doubt! Having traveled down from Pittsburgh for the event, I’m ready to soak up some much-needed rays. It feels like Pittsburgh hasn’t seen the sun since October, so I’m excited for a little warmth and brightness to recharge—Miami couldn’t have come at a better time!
As the legal industry continues to navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption, Juliet Astbury’s insights highlight the perfect balance between leveraging technology and preserving the human touch in legal practice. Her forward-thinking perspective underscores the need for collaboration, adaptability, and strategic innovation as we embrace the future of law.
Don’t miss the chance to hear Juliet and other industry leaders share their expertise live at Future Contracts Miami. Secure your spot today—get your tickets now and join the conversation shaping the future of legal innovation!
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