For two years the profession debated whether generative AI would assist lawyers or replace them. The question that matters in late 2026 is narrower and more practical: how much of a matter can an AI agent carry from intake to first draft before a human must intervene?

At several firms we spoke with, the answer is surprising. Agents now assemble chronologies from document productions, draft first-pass discovery responses, and schedule follow-ups with opposing counsel — all logged, all reviewable, and all supervised by an associate who acts more like an editor than an author.

The shift is less about technology than about workflow design. Firms that succeed treat agents as junior team members with narrowly defined permissions. Firms that struggle bolt agents onto processes that were never documented in the first place.

The lesson for managing partners is uncomfortable but clear: the competitive advantage in the agentic era belongs to firms that know precisely how they do their work. Process knowledge, not model access, is the new moat.