Legalverse: Are We Mistaking Data for Wisdom in Legal Strategy?

In this article, Madeleine Porter, Legal Industry Expert (APAC) at iManage, explores the tension between data-driven analytics and human judgment in legal decision-making. Porter argues that while AI and analytics can improve efficiency and access to justice, overreliance risks reducing law to algorithms and predictions rather than an exercise in reasoning. She calls for a balanced approach—using data for heavy lifting but preserving the creativity and intuition that drive landmark decisions—citing examples like Brown v. Board of Education and France’s Justice Reform Act as reminders that impartiality and wisdom must remain at the heart of the legal process.