Cleveland Jewish News

Training and technology: A daily imperative for attorneys

By A. Kevin Corvo | January 27, 2026 | Andrew Zashin consulted and quoted

Most lawyers study and learn many of the same principals, codes and case law on the way to earning a law degree, but there is still more to learn even after adding “esq.” after your name.

New attorneys and even experienced staff attorneys that choose to chart a new career path and establish their own firm have to adjust and develop skills not necessarily practiced while preparing for a bar examination.

Ryan Fisher, managing partner at Lowe Trial Lawyers in Mayfield Heights, has been a practicing attorney for nearly four decades and offers some simple advice for new attorneys: Make technology your friend.

“Embrace the technology,” Fisher, who practices what he preaches while learning new technology on the job that did not exist when he graduated from the Cleveland State University College of Law, said. “AI (artificial intelligence) was of course not even a thought (when I graduated). But AI has changed the way the law is practiced.”

ChatGPT and similar models to generate text, speech, and images is also broadly used, according to Fisher.

For example, such programs can be used to distill medical records in a personal injury case or to collect data sets or precedents on an array of subject matter and previous litigation, Fisher said.

“Once upon a time, you had to spend hours and hours at a library looking at dozens of books (but) now you can knock these things out without even leaving the office,” Fisher said.

Being adept in such manners is also a distinct advantage when job seeking, according to Fisher.

“If I am hiring, I expect the attorney I am hiring to know (how to use emerging technology) and even how to teach it to me,” Fisher said.

But with the use of such technology comes responsibility and while new technology provides the means to be more productive and efficient than ever before, it cannot be allowed to completely replace the human component, according to Fisher.

“AI can get it about 90% right but it does make mistakes,” Fisher said. “You need to review (the results and the products) and be aware at all times about the confidentiality of the information being used.”

Other attorneys shared similar views about the role of technology.

“Leveraging technology is important,” especially for small practices, according to Bill Price, an attorney in the Cleveland office of Elk and Elk.

The use of programs such as Microsoft Office and many others to support it can provide an attorney the option to work from home rather than leasing a brick-and-mortar office, he said.

Andrew Zashin, founder of Zashin Law in Mayfield Heights, said the importance of technology is second only to staffing when beginning a law career or launching a private practice.

“Almost as important to a fledgling practice as its people are its technology and hardware,” he said. “It is true that lawyers, law firms and courts are slow to adopt new technologies. Nonetheless, starting a firm offers a lawyer the opportunity to make a leap forward with regard to computer systems and related technology. Investing in this technology from the outset is both more efficient and less expensive than playing catch-up later.”

In addition to embracing technology, communication is equally important, according to Price.

“Communicate with your clients,” he said. “Call them before they expect it. Call them more often than the next (attorney).”

Fisher also suggested new attorneys become an expert in one particular facet of the law.

“Learn a part of the law like the back of your hand,” he said. “Find a niche and become a specialist, an expert, in that one singular area,” whether it is assisted-living maleficence or commercial trucking accidents.

“Become an authority in that arena, the person anyone else goes to for answers,” Fisher said.

But don’t lose sight that each case matters most to the client.

“Remember, it isn’t your case, it’s your client’s case,” Fisher said. “You might have 100 cases, but they have only one. Call them often to let them know what’s going on.”

Lastly, for attorneys whose practice is beginning to grow, Zashin said it is important to assemble a team of people who are trustworthy and compatible.

“Every lawyer, and his or her employees, especially in a small start-up practice, will interact frequently with clients,” he said. “All employees of that practice must be both trustworthy and dependable. In a start-up or small practice any mistake is amplified. But if you like the people with whom you work the product and results will be better.

“The practice of law is hard. There is no way around that. Try from the beginning to make the firm fun, or at least, a pleasant place to spend work time. From the firm’s choice of space, interior and culture try to include, when possible, employees’ perspectives. Creating the right culture matters because even clients know when the vibe is not quite right.”

A. Kevin Corvo is a freelance journalist.