Eric Paley

Eric Paley

Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP

Years in current role: 18

What changes in the legal industry do you believe will have the biggest impact on clients over the next few years?

No surprise to anyone, I’m sure, but AI will have an immeasurable impact on the legal industry over the next several years, and clients are poised to benefit from it greatly. The billable hour, long a sacred cow of the profession, will give way to project billing, but not your father’s idea of project billing. Literally any workflow that can be automated, no matter how small, will likely be subject to a unit cost, allowing large firms to go downmarket with ease. Meanwhile, smaller firms will be able to leverage agents to punch well above their weight. We’re obviously still in the early innings, but attorneys would be wise to learn from the lessons of the past: embrace the disruption or be disrupted yourself.

How do you balance legal expertise with client service and relationship-building?

For me, that balance between legal expertise, client service and relationship-building grew organically over time, and I’m routinely course correcting to ensure that I don’t become too focused on one over the others. The old saying is that the legal profession is made up of minders, finders and grinders, but in reality, a lawyer has to be all of these at different times. When an interesting project comes my way, I hit the books to learn something new. When the work is piled high on my desk like so many dirty dishes in the sink, I roll up my sleeves to slog through it. And when I find free moments in my day, I seek opportunities to grow a relationship or develop a new one. Thankfully, I find all of this rewarding because it involves a crazy amount of effort.

What is one accomplishment — professional or personal — that you are especially proud of?

Becoming a dad, hands down. As is true for many, parenting isn’t an innate skill. Rather, we unconsciously internalize lessons from those around us as we grow, the hope being that those lessons are enough for us to raise our kids well. I learned a lot of good from my parents, but I also learned a lot of bad. Years ago, I made the conscious decision to work on my relationships with my daughters — not because those relationships were particularly awful. Rather, I wanted them to be that much better. When people ask me what I want my legacy to be, it’s not about whether I make a mark on my firm or the profession. It’s all about whether my girls are ready to face all the challenges that life throws at them. When they were born, I became a father. It wasn’t until later that I became a dad.

This profile is part of our Labor & Employment Law Power List for 2026. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at nydailyrecord.com.