Minters breaks the big law silence: AI is eating graduate jobs

Ah, the legal profession has finally broken its silence — and it's the sound of 30-odd graduates being shown the door. MinterEllison, one of Australia's 'Big Six' law firms, has slashed its graduate intake for 2025-26 by almost a third to just 72, citing AI's ability to 'automate routine lower-level work'. Because nothing says 'we value young talent' like replacing them with a chatbot that can review contracts without demanding a coffee break. The firm's candour is almost refreshing: no weaselly 'restructuring' euphemisms, just a straight-up admission that generative AI is now doing what first-year associates used to do.

Of course, Minters is just the first to speak up; the rest of big law has been quietly sweating behind closed doors. One can only imagine the relief of the 26-odd graduates who will never have to bill hours in six-minute increments or proofread endless email chains. They've been freed — freed to compete for the remaining 72 spots against an even more desperate pool of applicants. And the partners? They're probably patting themselves on the back for 'embracing efficiency' while billing clients the same rate for work now done by a language model that costs pennies per query.

But don't worry — the AI will soon handle partner-level work too, and then the whole pyramid scheme collapses. First it was graduates; next it'll be the senior associates, then the partners themselves, until the firm consists of one managing partner, an OpenAI subscription, and a stern letter from the Law Society. Still, at least they broke the silence — a silence that will soon be filled by the gentle hum of servers replacing an entire generation of legal careers.