Every New Year brings with it a familiar ritual—resolutions that sound inspiring on the first day of January and become irrelevant by the end of the month. In the legal profession, resolutions are often discussed casually but rarely implemented seriously. Perhaps this is because advocates are trained to prioritise everyone else’s problems before their own.
However, the nature of legal practice has changed drastically over the last decade. Two issues now demand the immediate attention of every advocate, irrespective of seniority, location, or area of practice: personal health and artificial intelligence. Ignoring either is no longer optional; both directly affect professional competence and credibility.
This article is not written as a motivational piece, but as a professional reflection drawn from day-to-day legal practice.
The Unspoken Reality: Advocate Health Is in Decline
The legal profession rarely acknowledges it openly, but a large number of advocates suffer from lifestyle-related health issues. Long court hours, unpredictable schedules, constant pressure from clients, delayed payments, and the mental burden of litigation take a serious toll.
In district courts and High Courts alike, advocates routinely skip meals, survive on tea, sit for hours without movement, and work late nights preparing drafts or reading files. Over time, this leads to:
- Chronic fatigue
- Blood pressure and sugar-related issues
- Back, cervical, and posture-related problems
- Anxiety and sleep disorders
- Early professional burnout
What is more concerning is that many advocates accept this condition as “normal” and even inevitable.
Health Is Not a Luxury for Advocates
An advocate’s work depends entirely on mental clarity, patience, and sustained focus. Poor health directly affects drafting quality, courtroom arguments, and decision-making. A tired advocate is more likely to miss details, lose composure, or compromise on preparation.
A practical New Year resolution for advocates must begin with accepting that health is inseparable from professional responsibility.
Simple but realistic changes can make a measurable difference:
- Maintaining fixed meal times as far as court work permits
- Daily walking or light physical activity
- Reducing unnecessary late-night work
- Learning to decline non-essential professional engagements
These are not lifestyle trends; they are survival tools for long-term legal practice.
Artificial Intelligence: Fear, Misuse, and the Need for Legal Maturity
Artificial intelligence has entered the legal field quietly but firmly. Legal research platforms, drafting tools, document review systems, and case-management software are already part of modern practice. Yet, within the Bar, reactions to AI remain largely emotional rather than informed.
Some fear that AI will replace junior advocates. Others use AI blindly, copying drafts without verification. Both approaches are professionally dangerous.
AI Is Neither the Enemy Nor the Saviour
From a practitioner’s perspective, AI is best understood as an assistant, not an advocate. It can save time on routine tasks but cannot replace legal reasoning, ethical judgment, or courtroom advocacy.
AI can assist with:
- Preliminary legal research
- Structuring drafts
- Summarising judgments
- Managing case data
AI cannot:
- Decide legal strategy
- Fully understand factual nuances
- Argue before a court
- Assume responsibility for errors
An advocate who treats AI as a shortcut rather than a tool risks professional embarrassment and ethical consequences.
Ethical Responsibility While Using AI
One of the most serious risks associated with AI is the generation of incorrect case laws, imaginary citations, and misleading legal interpretations. Any advocate using AI must remember one fundamental principle:
The responsibility for every word filed or argued in court rests solely with the advocate.
A meaningful New Year resolution in this context would include:
- Never filing AI-generated content without independent verification
- Cross-checking all citations and legal propositions
- Maintaining client confidentiality while using digital tools
- Using AI to support thinking, not replace it