How Senior Matrimonial Lawyers Can Adapt to AI and Modern Marketing Without Losing Their Professional Core
By Robert Kornitzer, Esq. Family Law Practitioner
The legal profession is evolving faster than ever. Artificial intelligence, social media, and instant communication are transforming how we connect with clients and market our legal services. For those of us who built our practices through mailed correspondence, in-person meetings, and fax machines, the pace of change can feel dizzying.
Yet while the tools have changed, the essence of our work has not. Experience, empathy, ethics, and judgment remain our greatest assets—and they are exactly what the digital age needs most. The challenge is not to become something we’re not, but to blend our strengths with a few new habits that keep us visible and efficient.
The New Communication Culture
Today’s clients expect instant access. They send texts, WhatsApp messages, and sometimes expect legal advice through social media. For senior matrimonial lawyers, this informality can feel uncomfortable—and in a field built on discretion and precision, that hesitation is justified. There seems like there are no boundaries, and everything is out in the open. This is the opposite of what lawyers learn in school and in their bar exams – that confidentiality and competence matter most!
Rather than resist or capitulate, we can set boundaries with balance with our clients:
- Make it clear that email remains the official channel for legal communication.
- Have staff triage texts or WhatsApp messages and move anything substantive into an email record.
- Explain that this protects both privacy and accuracy.
This approach preserves professionalism and confidentiality, while still showing clients that we understand modern communication.
Using AI as a Helpful Clerk, Not a Competitor
AI can feel intimidating—especially when it’s described as the “future of law.” But AI doesn’t replace lawyers; it replaces tasks, not judgment.
Think of it as a tireless assistant who can:
- Draft initial letters or document templates.
- Summarize discovery or lengthy correspondence.
- Outline arguments or organize timelines.
You provide the human oversight—the empathy, discretion, and strategic thinking AI lacks. Even modest use of these tools can save hours and free you to focus on what matters: your clients and your craft.
Most importantly, AI is not always correct. I have reviewed information about a given law topic in New Jersey that Chat gave me more than once and found it not to be accurate or up to date. Lawyers should keep their legal and ethical obligations front and center in all their dealings with AI.
Updating Marketing Without Reinventing Yourself
Marketing today looks nothing like it did twenty years ago, but authenticity still wins. You don’t need to dance on TikTok to stay relevant. And I am not sure the bar wants to see its licenced lawyers dancing on screen, and certainly not while wearing a speedo!
Start small and strategic:
- Refresh your website with a current photo and bio.
- Post short, thoughtful comments on LinkedIn about developments in family law.
- Send an occasional email newsletter—the digital version of the old firm bulletin. In my firm we opted for a quarterly one, which is frequent enough to keep us in the clients’ minds, without flooding their inboxes. They get enough emails!
Clients and colleagues simply need to know you’re still active, approachable, and on top of what’s happened in your field. Consistency, combined with creativity, will get your message out.
Partnering Across Generations
One of the smartest moves for seasoned lawyers is to collaborate with younger colleagues. They understand technology and social media; you understand judgment, advocacy, and professionalism.
Divide the work naturally: let them manage digital tools and client-facing systems, while you mentor them in negotiation, case strategy, and courtroom presence. This symbiotic exchange ensures that both experience and innovation flourish.
What Senior Lawyers Bring That Technology (and Youth) Cannot
It’s easy to feel overshadowed by the next generation’s tech fluency. But senior matrimonial lawyers bring qualities that remain irreplaceable:
- Judgment grounded in experience. Years of practice teach instincts no software can replicate. You’ve seen enough to know when to speak and when to stay silent.
- Emotional intelligence. Family law is as much about people as procedure. Clients in turmoil want calm counsel, not quick texts.
- Professionalism and decorum. You embody civility and respect—qualities that elevate the practice and earn the trust of courts and clients alike.
- Perspective. You’ve seen trends come and go, and you can tell which innovations help and which merely distract.
These strengths are the bedrock of effective advocacy. They can’t be coded or taught overnight—and clients know it.
Lifelong Learning, One Step at a Time
Keeping up doesn’t require mastering every new app. It means staying curious and open. Even modest learning efforts go a long way:
- Attend a bar association webinar on AI or digital ethics.
- Watch a short LinkedIn or YouTube tutorial on marketing tools.
- Ask a younger colleague to walk you through one new program each quarter.
- Try using ChatGPT or another AI tool to draft a letter or research summary.
Small steps build comfort and confidence—and demonstrate adaptability to clients and peers.
The Enduring Role of the Senior Lawyer
Despite all the change, the essence of matrimonial law hasn’t shifted. We still guide clients through profound personal upheaval. That requires steadiness, compassion, and ethical clarity—qualities that come from years of practice, not technology.
Senior lawyers are not obsolete; we are the anchors of the profession. By pairing timeless judgment with selective modern tools, we preserve the integrity of legal practice while moving confidently into the future.
In Closing
Technology can help us work faster, but it cannot make us wiser. The tools may evolve, but the heart of lawyering—listening, reasoning, and advocating with humanity—remains unchanged.
For senior matrimonial lawyers, success in the AI era is not about mastering every gadget. It’s about staying visible, curious, and true to what makes us good lawyers in the first place: wisdom earned through experience and delivered with insight and compassion.
