In a recent episode of the Main Street AI Podcast, Tyler Prime, a commercial real estate attorney from New Jersey, makes a compelling argument that artificial intelligence is not just a futuristic tool for the legal industry—it's an inevitability that firms must embrace now or risk being left behind.
Prime, who helped grow his father's solo practice into a 30-person boutique firm, describes how AI is already transforming legal work. He shares a striking example: the morning of the recording, his team used AI to locate a critical buried provision in a 600-page document in under 60 seconds—a task that would have taken a junior associate hours.
"It's not about doing the same repeated task and making the same amount of money," Prime says. "It's using your time for more high-level, valuable stuff."
He draws a sharp parallel between AI's rapid adoption curve—measured in weeks and months—and the slow uptake of earlier technologies like seat belts, airbags, email, and text messaging, which took decades or years to become standard. According to Prime, clients will soon expect AI-assisted work as a baseline, and firms that lag will be forced to play catch-up.
The podcast explores how tools like Westlaw's Co-Counsel AI are revolutionizing legal research and brief writing. Prime argues that AI's real opportunity in law isn't about replacing strategy or client judgment—it's about eliminating low-level, repetitive work so that attorneys can focus on the high-value counsel clients actually hire them for.
For legal professionals wondering whether AI adoption is worth the investment, Prime's message is clear: the time to act is now.