ثمة تحول تقني عميق يجري أمام أعيننا، لا ضجيج فيه ولا إعلان، لكنه يعيد ترتيب علاقة الإنسان بالعمل من جذورها. وفي قلب هذا التحول، تقف مهنة المحاماة في مواجهة اختبار وجودي، لا يتعلق بصلاحيتها، بل بقدرتها على مواكبة أدوات العصر ومفاهيمه الجديدة.
في الوقت الذي تُطلق فيه كبرى الشركات العالمية خططًا لتقليص عدد الموظفين لصالح نماذج الذكاء الصناعي، أصبحت الأسئلة التي كانت تُطرح همسًا في أروقة الجامعات ومعاهد التدريب، تُطرح الآن بصوتٍ عالٍ: هل الذكاء الصناعي سيحل محل المحامي؟ وهل ستبقى المهنة كما نعرفها؟
التقارير الصادرة عن مؤسسات كبرى مثل «فورد»، و«جي بي مورغان»، و«أمازون»، و«Anthropic» لا تُخفي نواياها، بل تُعلنها بوضوح: نصف الموظفين قد يُستبدلون بالآلة، والوظائف التقليدية حتى ذات الطابع التحليلي لم تعد خطًا أحمر. لا حديث هنا عن المصانع فقط، بل عن المكاتب، والمذكرات، والتحليل المالي والقانوني على حدٍ سواء.
ومن اللافت أن بعض قادة التقنية أنفسهم بدأوا يدقّون ناقوس الخطر. ففي تصريح لافت لرئيس شركة «Anthropic» قال بوضوح إن «نصف الوظائف المبتدئة في أمريكا ستختفي خلال خمس سنوات»، محذراً من موجة بطالة لم تشهدها الأسواق الحديثة منذ عقود.
ولعل من المؤشرات المضيئة في هذا المشهد، أن وزير العدل السعودي وهو رئيس مجلس إدارة الهيئة السعودية للمحامين تطرّق لهذا التساؤل بصراحة نادرة خلال مؤتمر المحاماة لعام 2024، حين أشار إلى أن الذكاء الصناعي لن يُغني عن المحامين، بل سيُعزز من كفاءتهم. وأضاف في ردٍ يحمل بُعدًا تربويًا أن من يتصور أن جهازًا ما أو تقنية متطورة قادرة على استبداله كمحامٍ ربما عليه مراجعة اختياره المهني من الأساس.
لكن هذا التصريح رغم أهميته لا يعفي القطاع من واجب الاستعداد. فالمسألة ليست في ما إذا كان الذكاء الصناعي «سيحل مكان» المحامي، بل في ما إذا كان المحامي سيظل يعتمد أدوات ما قبل الذكاء الصناعي، بينما تتحرك المنظومة حوله بسرعة تفوق الاستيعاب.
الحقيقة أن الخطر لا يكمن في الذكاء الصناعي، بل في التقليدية. في أن يُصرّ بعض الممارسين على أداء أدوار يمكن للآلة أن تؤديها بدقة وسرعة أكبر: تلخيص، تنسيق، تحرير، كتابة مكررة... بينما تتراجع مهارات التحليل العميق، وبناء الإستراتيجية القانونية، وفهم السياق الاجتماعي والتشريعي للنزاعات.
ما يجب أن يحدث الآن ليس الصدام مع الذكاء الصناعي، بل التكامل الذكي معه، عبر مسارات استباقية يمكن تلخيصها في الآتي:
• إدراج الذكاء الصناعي القانوني ضمن مناهج كليات القانون، لا كمادة تقنية مضافة، بل كأداة مهنية تمس صلب التدريب القانوني والتفكير التحليلي.
• تطوير مسارات تدريب إلزامية ومستمرة للمحامين، تُمكّنهم من أدوات العصر الرقمي، على غرار ما يُطبّق في كبرى الأسواق القانونية حول العالم.
• استحداث شهادة مهنية وطنية تحت إشراف الهيئة السعودية للمحامين، تُمنح للمحامي أو المستشار القانوني الذي يُتقن أساسيات التعامل مع الذكاء الصناعي في القضايا، العقود، والمشاريع الاستشارية، ويُشترط لنيلها اجتياز برنامج معتمد يشمل مفاهيم الامتثال الرقمي، أدوات البحث الذكي، أخلاقيات استخدام الذكاء الصناعي، وتحليل البيانات القانونية. هذه الشهادة ستكون بمنزلة معيار للجودة والمهنية المستقبلية في السوق القانوني.
• إعادة تصنيف المحامين وفق كفاءات جديدة تشمل التحليل، التمكّن من الأدوات التقنية، وسرعة الإنجاز، لا فقط سنوات الخبرة أو المزاولة التقليدية.
• تشجيع مكاتب المحاماة على التحوّل من النمط الفردي إلى النموذج المؤسسي الذكي، وذلك لا يعني بالضرورة تأسيس شركة كبيرة أو توظيف العشرات، بل يكفي اعتماد نموذج إداري احترافي يتضمن:
• حوكمة داخلية واضحة (مهام، ملفات، تسلسل مسؤوليات).
• استخدام أدوات إدارة القضايا والعقود بشكل رقمي متكامل.
• بناء منصات داخلية بسيطة لتنظيم العمل ومتابعة العملاء.
• تخصيص مسارات تقنية لإدخال الذكاء الصناعي في الصياغة والمراجعة القانونية.
• وضع خطة تطوير سنوية لكل عضو في الفريق، تشمل التدريب، الأتمتة، والتحليل.
ومن المؤكد أن مهنة المحاماة لن تنقرض أو أن ينحسر دور العقل البشري في ممارستها. لكنها ستتبدل. ومن سيبقى ممارسًا لها ليس من يجيد «الورق»، بل من يتقن «الخوارزميات». فالعدالة كانت دائمًا تعتمد على الإنسان، لكنها في هذا العصر ستعتمد على الإنسان الذكي الذي يتقن أدوات العصر.
ولعل من المناسب في هذا السياق أن يُدرس بشكل موضوعي مقترح استحداث رخصة مهنية تقنية للممارسين القانونيين، تعزز من مناعة المحامي في السوق، وتُعيد رسم خريطة التميّز في هذه المهنة النبيلة.
فراس طرابلسي
من الورق إلى الخوارزميات.. اختبار بقاء للمهنة
11 يوليو 2025 - 00:02
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آخر تحديث 11 يوليو 2025 - 00:02
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
There is a profound technological transformation happening before our eyes, without noise or announcement, but it is rearranging the relationship between humans and work from its roots. At the heart of this transformation stands the legal profession facing an existential test, not concerning its validity, but its ability to keep pace with the tools and new concepts of the era.
At a time when major global companies are launching plans to reduce the number of employees in favor of artificial intelligence models, the questions that were once whispered in the halls of universities and training institutes are now being asked loudly: Will artificial intelligence replace lawyers? Will the profession remain as we know it?
Reports issued by major institutions such as "Ford," "JP Morgan," "Amazon," and "Anthropic" do not hide their intentions but announce them clearly: half of the employees may be replaced by machines, and even traditional jobs with an analytical nature are no longer a red line. This is not just about factories, but about offices, memos, and financial and legal analysis alike.
Interestingly, some tech leaders themselves have begun to sound the alarm. In a striking statement, the CEO of "Anthropic" clearly stated that "half of the entry-level jobs in America will disappear within five years," warning of a wave of unemployment not seen in modern markets for decades.
Perhaps one of the bright indicators in this scene is that the Saudi Minister of Justice, who is also the Chairman of the Saudi Bar Association, addressed this question with rare frankness during the 2024 Law Conference, when he pointed out that artificial intelligence will not replace lawyers but will enhance their efficiency. He added in a response that carries an educational dimension that anyone who thinks that a device or advanced technology can replace them as a lawyer may need to reconsider their professional choice altogether.
However, this statement, despite its importance, does not absolve the sector from the duty of preparation. The issue is not whether artificial intelligence will "replace" the lawyer, but whether the lawyer will continue to rely on pre-artificial intelligence tools while the system around them moves at an incomprehensible speed.
The truth is that the danger does not lie in artificial intelligence, but in traditionalism. In insisting that some practitioners perform roles that machines can carry out with greater accuracy and speed: summarizing, formatting, editing, repetitive writing... while deep analytical skills, building legal strategies, and understanding the social and legislative context of disputes decline.
What needs to happen now is not a confrontation with artificial intelligence, but intelligent integration with it, through proactive pathways that can be summarized as follows:
• Integrating legal artificial intelligence into law school curricula, not as an added technical subject, but as a professional tool that touches the core of legal training and analytical thinking.
• Developing mandatory and continuous training pathways for lawyers, enabling them to utilize the tools of the digital age, similar to what is implemented in major legal markets around the world.
• Establishing a national professional certification under the supervision of the Saudi Bar Association, awarded to lawyers or legal consultants who master the fundamentals of dealing with artificial intelligence in cases, contracts, and consulting projects, with the requirement of passing an accredited program that includes concepts of digital compliance, smart research tools, ethics of using artificial intelligence, and legal data analysis. This certification will serve as a standard for future quality and professionalism in the legal market.
• Reclassifying lawyers according to new competencies that include analysis, proficiency with technical tools, and speed of execution, not just years of experience or traditional practice.
• Encouraging law firms to shift from an individual model to an intelligent institutional model, which does not necessarily mean establishing a large company or hiring dozens, but rather adopting a professional management model that includes:
• Clear internal governance (tasks, files, responsibility hierarchy).
• Using integrated digital tools for case and contract management.
• Building simple internal platforms to organize work and follow up with clients.
• Allocating technical pathways to introduce artificial intelligence in legal drafting and review.
• Developing an annual development plan for each team member, including training, automation, and analysis.
It is certain that the legal profession will not become extinct nor will the role of the human mind diminish in its practice. However, it will change. Those who will remain practitioners are not those who excel in "paperwork," but those who master "algorithms." Justice has always depended on humans, but in this era, it will depend on the intelligent human who masters the tools of the age.
In this context, it is appropriate to objectively study the proposal for establishing a technical professional license for legal practitioners, enhancing the lawyer's immunity in the market and redrawing the map of excellence in this noble profession.
At a time when major global companies are launching plans to reduce the number of employees in favor of artificial intelligence models, the questions that were once whispered in the halls of universities and training institutes are now being asked loudly: Will artificial intelligence replace lawyers? Will the profession remain as we know it?
Reports issued by major institutions such as "Ford," "JP Morgan," "Amazon," and "Anthropic" do not hide their intentions but announce them clearly: half of the employees may be replaced by machines, and even traditional jobs with an analytical nature are no longer a red line. This is not just about factories, but about offices, memos, and financial and legal analysis alike.
Interestingly, some tech leaders themselves have begun to sound the alarm. In a striking statement, the CEO of "Anthropic" clearly stated that "half of the entry-level jobs in America will disappear within five years," warning of a wave of unemployment not seen in modern markets for decades.
Perhaps one of the bright indicators in this scene is that the Saudi Minister of Justice, who is also the Chairman of the Saudi Bar Association, addressed this question with rare frankness during the 2024 Law Conference, when he pointed out that artificial intelligence will not replace lawyers but will enhance their efficiency. He added in a response that carries an educational dimension that anyone who thinks that a device or advanced technology can replace them as a lawyer may need to reconsider their professional choice altogether.
However, this statement, despite its importance, does not absolve the sector from the duty of preparation. The issue is not whether artificial intelligence will "replace" the lawyer, but whether the lawyer will continue to rely on pre-artificial intelligence tools while the system around them moves at an incomprehensible speed.
The truth is that the danger does not lie in artificial intelligence, but in traditionalism. In insisting that some practitioners perform roles that machines can carry out with greater accuracy and speed: summarizing, formatting, editing, repetitive writing... while deep analytical skills, building legal strategies, and understanding the social and legislative context of disputes decline.
What needs to happen now is not a confrontation with artificial intelligence, but intelligent integration with it, through proactive pathways that can be summarized as follows:
• Integrating legal artificial intelligence into law school curricula, not as an added technical subject, but as a professional tool that touches the core of legal training and analytical thinking.
• Developing mandatory and continuous training pathways for lawyers, enabling them to utilize the tools of the digital age, similar to what is implemented in major legal markets around the world.
• Establishing a national professional certification under the supervision of the Saudi Bar Association, awarded to lawyers or legal consultants who master the fundamentals of dealing with artificial intelligence in cases, contracts, and consulting projects, with the requirement of passing an accredited program that includes concepts of digital compliance, smart research tools, ethics of using artificial intelligence, and legal data analysis. This certification will serve as a standard for future quality and professionalism in the legal market.
• Reclassifying lawyers according to new competencies that include analysis, proficiency with technical tools, and speed of execution, not just years of experience or traditional practice.
• Encouraging law firms to shift from an individual model to an intelligent institutional model, which does not necessarily mean establishing a large company or hiring dozens, but rather adopting a professional management model that includes:
• Clear internal governance (tasks, files, responsibility hierarchy).
• Using integrated digital tools for case and contract management.
• Building simple internal platforms to organize work and follow up with clients.
• Allocating technical pathways to introduce artificial intelligence in legal drafting and review.
• Developing an annual development plan for each team member, including training, automation, and analysis.
It is certain that the legal profession will not become extinct nor will the role of the human mind diminish in its practice. However, it will change. Those who will remain practitioners are not those who excel in "paperwork," but those who master "algorithms." Justice has always depended on humans, but in this era, it will depend on the intelligent human who masters the tools of the age.
In this context, it is appropriate to objectively study the proposal for establishing a technical professional license for legal practitioners, enhancing the lawyer's immunity in the market and redrawing the map of excellence in this noble profession.


