In 2023, the legal technology job market experienced a massive recalibration, adjusting to a variety of post-pandemic new normals related to return to office, contract vs full-time hiring, and new variables like the introduction of artificial intelligence, fears of a recession that never happened, and more. 2024 promises to be better than 2023, with a steady stream of hiring throughout legal technology, but with more opportunities and accelerated competition at year’s end. Here are the top 10 trends that all hiring managers and job seekers should anticipate in 2024.

  • A.I. Jobs Get Defined

2023 was a year when a vast number of professionals in a variety of different industry verticals began to brand themselves as having AI or AI governance experience. But 2023 bore very few externally hired full-time or contract opportunities aimed at capturing AI specialization within e-discovery, cybersecurity, or data privacy. 2024 will not be an explosion of AI job opportunity, but rather the beginning of a standardization of role definition as it relates to AI in the legal technology community. Roles most likely to evolve first are AI attorneys in two varieties: attorneys who understand current and future legislative and regulatory rules and requirements related to how a business can or should leverage AI, and lawyers who have begun experimenting successfully at wielding and integrating AI technology into their legal practice. Additionally, expect to see the emergence of governance, engineering, prompt and project management, and C-suite positions gaining visibility, credibility, and accountability for how organizations integrate artificial intelligence.

  • Privacy Contractor Staffing Reaches All-Time High