Will A.I.’s Efficiency Trim Lawyers’ Billable Hours?
AI增律師效率客戶：折扣呢？
For most businesses, a mounting perception of the prowess of artificial intelligence would be a clear-cut boon. But in an industry that bills by the hour, it has ruffled some feathers.
對多數企業來說，外界愈來愈相信AI能力強大，理應是利多。但對以工時計費的法律業來說，事情卻沒那麼簡單。
When, clients want to know, is AI efficiency going to lead to lower legal bills?
客戶開始追問：AI既然提高效率，法律費用何時才會變便宜？
Jennifer Leonard, the founder of Creative Lawyers, which advises law firms and corporate legal departments on adapting to AI, said that some law firms and their clients have used AI agents to spot line items in bills where AI could have saved hours.
專門協助律師事務所與企業法務部門導入AI的Creative Lawyers創辦人雷納德說，有些律所和客戶已利用AI代理工具檢查帳單，找出帳單中原本可用AI節省工時的項目。
“They literally have struck that out, and say, ‘I want a discount on this. We don’t want to pay for this part of the work anymore,’” she said. “Or ‘We know you have this new AI tool in-house because we saw your splashy press release.’”
她說：「他們真的會直接把那筆費用畫掉，說：『這裡我要打折，我們不想再為這部分工作付錢。』或者說：『我們知道你們內部已經有新的AI工具，因為我們看過你們大張旗鼓發布的新聞稿。』」
Firms often push back on the requests for steep discounts. They say that AI isn’t necessarily saving that much time — at least not yet — and that the technology is changing the composition of the hours, with less busywork and more substantive analysis.
事務所通常不願接受大幅折扣，理由是AI至少目前還沒有省下那麼多時間，而且AI改變的更多是工時內容：例行雜務減少，真正需要分析與判斷的工作增加。
There is little immediate need for a revolution: Revenue at large firms grew more than 12% on average during the first six months of the year, while average standard billing rates increased by double digits, according to Wells Fargo.
業界也沒有立即改革收費制度的壓力。據富國銀行資料，今年上半年大型律所營收平均增逾12%，標準計費費率也以兩位數幅度上升。
“I expect more firms to price the AI-heavy, repeatable parts of a matter in new ways and keep judgment-heavy work, like strategy, negotiation and advocacy, on the hourly model,” said Leonard, adding that firms have long charged flat fees for discrete work like trademark filings, incorporations and real estate closings.
雷納德預期，未來大量使用AI、可以重複執行的工作，會愈來愈多採用新的計價方式；至於策略、談判與辯護等仰賴專業判斷的工作，仍會維持按時計費。事實上，商標申請、公司設立與房地產交易等明確項目，律所早已採取固定收費。
Law firm leaders say they’re increasingly open to alternative arrangements.“Will things in large law go to more fixed-price, project-based pricing, fixed-fee models? Sure,” Jon Ballis, chair of Kirkland & Ellis, said in a July interview. “I think that is already happening a bit, and I think it will continue.”
大型律師事務所主管也愈來愈願意接受其他計價方式。Kirkland & Ellis領導人巴利斯7月受訪時說，大型律所未來採用更多專案計價或固定收費模式，「當然」可能發生，「其實現在已經有一些，而且我認為還會繼續增加」。
But the shift is, at best, gradual.
不過轉變至今仍屬漸進。
“Nobody wants to be the first firm who really leads the way and goes out there,” Kyle Poe, vice president of legal innovation at the legal software company Legora, said. “They’re trying to prepare for the day where they do need to start to pivot.”
法律軟體公司Legora法律創新副總裁波伊說：「沒有人願意成為第一家真正帶頭、率先踏出那一步的律所；他們都在為『終究必須開始調整方向』的那一天做準備。」
文／Sarah Kessler，譯／國際中心
說文解字看新聞
【張佑生】
這篇報導真正問題不是「AI會不會取代律師」，而是：當AI削減了整理文件、查法條和初步分析所需的工時，客戶是否還願意循例按小時付費？
可數名詞但通常以單數形式呈現的boon是助益，有用且能改善生活品質，常接for或to：Reliable daycare is a boon to working parents.對多數產業而言，AI理應是好事，但對於按工時收費(hourly billing)的律師業則未必。
Ruffle是弄皺，ruffle somebody's/a few feathers意象來自鳥類生氣時羽毛會蓬開的樣子，所以用「弄亂羽毛」比喻「惹惱(offend/upset)某人」，可追溯至19世紀中葉：His critical remarks ruffled the feathers of the board members.成書於西元前3世紀中葉的《韓非子》記載，龍喉下倒生的鱗片謂之「逆鱗」，觸碰會要人命，「批其逆鱗」引申為直言諍諫。
棒球迷熟知的三振是strike out，在本文是把帳單項目畫掉(remove/delete)，不只是要求打折。客戶拿著帳單、逐項檢查，哪些工時不予認列，具體呈現AI如何改變議價權。Judgment-heavy work不是「判決繁重的工作」，而是指需要高度專業判斷、經驗與策略思考，難以完全交給AI處理的法律工作。
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