Aurora Bryant, a 40-year-old former Department of Justice trial attorney, has successfully transitioned from traditional legal practice to become the senior legal data intelligence lead at Relativity, a company leveraging AI to solve complex legal challenges. After spending 15 years in law, including a decade at the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Bryant made the bold career pivot in mid-2025.
Bryant’s journey began with childhood dreams of becoming a lawyer, inspired by John Grisham novels. She studied economics at Tulane University and graduated from Northwestern University Law School in 2010. Her career included investigating housing and lending discrimination cases before landing her dream role as a DOJ trial attorney in 2015 in Washington, D.C.
While working at the DOJ was fulfilling—bringing relief to victims of unlawful discrimination nationwide—Bryant faced significant frustrations with limited resources and outdated technology. The lack of access to modern tools created bottlenecks and inefficiencies that motivated her to explore how emerging technologies, particularly AI, were transforming legal practice.
Bryant’s exposure to AI in law began through her involvement with eDiscovery groups within the DOJ starting in 2018. eDiscovery involves collecting, reviewing, and producing electronically stored information relevant to legal cases. Through conferences and professional development, she observed how AI applications were revolutionizing legal workflows.
In 2023, Bryant transitioned to a newly created eLitigation Counsel position, developing templates, guides, and best practices to streamline eDiscovery work. However, continued resource constraints made it clear her future lay outside government service. By mid-2025, she accepted her current role at Relativity, where she now collaborates with data scientists, engineers, and product leaders to develop generative AI solutions tailored to attorneys’ needs.
Bryant emphasizes that just as computer literacy became essential 20 years ago, AI proficiency is becoming equally critical for legal professionals today. She’s now learning to code and developing entirely new expertise, drawing on her 15 years of legal experience to optimize AI-powered legal technology products.
Key Quotes
Just as it was important 20 years ago to learn how to use a computer for daily tasks, I believe it will become equally important to be able to leverage AI.
Aurora Bryant emphasizes the critical importance of AI literacy for modern legal professionals. This statement reflects her belief that AI proficiency is becoming as fundamental as basic computer skills, signaling a major shift in required competencies for lawyers and legal professionals.
I didn’t see my career pivot as a risk; I saw it as an exciting opportunity to try something new. I’m developing a whole new area of expertise.
Bryant explains her mindset when leaving her DOJ position for AI legal technology. This perspective challenges the typical risk-averse nature of legal professionals and demonstrates how experienced attorneys can successfully transition into emerging AI-focused roles by reframing career changes as opportunities rather than threats.
At Relativity, I collaborate with data scientists, engineers, product leaders, designers, and customers to ensure that our generative AI solutions are developed in ways that meet the needs of attorneys and case teams.
Bryant describes her current role, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of AI development in legal technology. This quote illustrates how legal expertise is essential for creating effective AI tools, as technologists need input from practitioners to build solutions that actually work in real-world legal contexts.
When I took the eLitigation role, I could see that bringing solutions to case teams working to advance civil rights was more sustainable and satisfying to me than being in an adversarial posture in litigation every day.
Bryant reflects on what motivated her career shift from trial attorney to legal technology. This reveals how professionals can maintain their core values—advancing justice—while changing their approach, finding fulfillment in enabling others through technology rather than direct litigation.
Our Take
Bryant’s story exemplifies a crucial trend in AI adoption: the migration of domain experts into technology roles. Her 15 years of legal experience isn’t being abandoned—it’s being leveraged to build better AI tools. This is precisely what the AI industry needs: professionals who understand the nuances of their fields and can guide AI development toward practical, ethical applications.
The legal sector’s AI transformation is particularly significant because law has traditionally been resistant to disruption. Bryant’s frustration with DOJ technology limitations reflects a broader problem: institutions that fail to modernize risk losing top talent to tech companies. Her willingness to learn coding at 40 demonstrates that AI careers aren’t just for young technologists—experienced professionals bring invaluable perspective.
Most importantly, her role ensuring generative AI meets attorneys’ actual needs addresses a critical challenge: AI tools often fail because they’re built without sufficient input from end-users. Bryant represents the bridge between legal practice and AI innovation that will determine whether legal AI succeeds or becomes another overhyped technology.
Why This Matters
Bryant’s career transformation represents a significant trend in the legal industry’s AI adoption and highlights the growing intersection between traditional legal expertise and emerging technology. Her story demonstrates how AI is fundamentally reshaping legal careers, creating new roles that didn’t exist even a few years ago.
The legal sector has historically been slow to adopt new technologies, but AI-powered tools for eDiscovery, document review, and case analysis are now becoming essential. Bryant’s frustration with outdated government technology reflects a broader challenge facing legal institutions: the need to modernize or risk inefficiency.
Her transition also signals an important workforce shift—experienced professionals pivoting to AI-focused roles in their 40s, bringing domain expertise that’s crucial for developing effective AI applications. This combination of legal knowledge and technical understanding is increasingly valuable as law firms and legal departments implement AI solutions.
For the broader AI industry, Bryant’s experience underscores the importance of human expertise in AI development. Her role ensuring generative AI solutions meet attorneys’ actual needs exemplifies how AI companies require professionals who understand both the technology and the end-users’ workflows, making such career transitions increasingly common and necessary.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-change-career-at-40-lawyer-experience-goals-2025-12