
As GenAI takes over document review, first drafts, and due diligence, firms are confronting a problem that efficiency metrics do not capture: some of the work being automated was also how junior lawyers learned to practice law. The repetitive tasks that once occupied associates were not simply busywork; they were where lawyers developed judgment through repetition, supervision, and exposure to real matters. This piece examines what is disappearing from the traditional apprenticeship model, what junior lawyers were actually learning through that work, and how firms are experimenting with simulations, redesigned workflows, and other approaches to rebuild those learning opportunities before the consequences emerge years later.