California Attorney General Rob Bonta has publicly reaffirmed his belief in the value of a legal education, despite graduating from Yale Law School with significant debt and the rising threat of automation in the field. Bonta, who worked cleaning laundry rooms to support himself through college, told Business Insider he would make the same choice again.
His comments come as the average total cost of law school is estimated at $217,480, according to the Education Data Initiative. The profession also faces uncertainty with the advent of artificial intelligence, which is increasingly capable of handling routine legal work traditionally done by junior associates.
A Defiant Endorsement
"I get a lot of questions from young folks who ask me if law school's worth it," Bonta stated. "I still tell every person to ask me, 'Yes, it's worth it.'" He argued that the skills acquired are indispensable for shaping society. "I couldn't do this job," or "a bunch of other jobs," without a law degree, he said. "I wouldn't think or learn or speak or write the way I do without the training."
Bonta emphasised that these skills allow graduates to "impact the future of our state and our nation and make a difference in society," and will continue to be a key differentiator for job candidates in any sector.
Career Path and AI Oversight
Bonta's own career trajectory was initially shaped by his student debt. He began in private practice to pay down his loans, delaying his ambition for public service. He later served in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office, became a state legislator, and was sworn in as California's attorney general in 2021.
In this role, he is central to California's regulatory crackdown on artificial intelligence, focusing on issues like deepfakes and harms to children. His office has launched a new program to build in-house technical expertise to better understand the technology.
Government Adoption of AI
When asked if his office uses AI tools to improve efficiency, Bonta confirmed his team is reviewing available options but declined to name specific vendors. He acknowledged the government is "notoriously slower" than the private sector in adopting new technology but stressed "we can't be too out of sync."
He noted that private sector lawyers face client pressure to use AI to reduce legal bills. "We will need to start doing that more, as well," Bonta said. "I think it'll enhance our output, our product."