Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Legal Practice: From Automation to Augmented Lawyering

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the legal profession worldwide. Rather than replacing lawyers, AI reshapes legal workflows, automating routine tasks such as research, document review, and contract analysis, while enhancing human judgment, ethics, and strategic decision-making. This article examines these changes through theoretical and empirical lenses, focusing on the French legal system. It highlights organizational shifts in law firms, including new governance structures, multidisciplinary teams, and AI management practices ensuring ethical compliance and data security. The article concludes that the future of law lies in human–machine collaboration, where AI augments lawyers’ professional values of responsibility, trust, and justice: from Automation to Augmented Lawyering.