The Brief:
Harvey’s CEO Winston Weinberg says junior lawyers will be more valuable than ever in the age of AI, not less.
AI is reshaping law’s apprenticeship model, letting juniors take on riskier work sooner.
Winston Weinberg, the 31-year-old founder of $5bn legal AI startup Harvey, says the rise of AI won’t sideline junior lawyers — it’ll make them indispensable.
Speaking at TechLaw.Fest 2025 in Singapore, Weinberg said he’s 100% committed to hiring and training young lawyers who’ve grown up with AI. Harvey, which now employs around 340 people globally, plans to add about 15 staff to its new Sydney office this year, including junior hires.
The younger you are, usually the more agile you are at adopting a new playbook and figuring it out… In 10 years, they're going to be a way better partner.
AI is rewriting the apprenticeship model that has long defined legal training. As firms flatten their structures, with more associates and fewer partners, AI is taking on routine work once reserved for juniors.
But rather than weakening juniors’ development, Weinberg believes it’s accelerating it. Young lawyers can do “more high-risk things sooner”, which propels their development.
He added that AI could also make it easier for young lawyers to strike out on their own, with new legal-tech ventures giving grads a head start. According to the American Bar Association, over 6% of 2024 US law grads have already moved into business and industry roles, with many joining startups to build the next generation of legal software.
Going into tech, once seen as career-limiting, is now becoming career-enhancing.