Need for speedier legal work drives 82% of lawyers to embrace AI
24 Sep 2024
82% of UK lawyers have adopted generative AI or have plans in motion, almost four-times the number seen in Summer 2023. Lawyers say delivering work faster is the biggest benefit of AI, yet it is prompting many to rethink the suitability of their pricing structure.
Today, LexisNexis® , a leading global provider of legal information and analytics, released a new report – Need for Speedier Legal Services sees AI Adoption Accelerate – which reveals a sharp increase in the number of lawyers using generative AI for legal work.
The survey of 800+ UK legal professionals at firms and in-house teams found 41% are currently using AI for work, up from 11% in July 2023. Lawyers with plans to use AI for legal work in the near future also jumped from 28% to 41%, while those with no plans to adopt AI dropped from 61% to 15%.
The report highlights that the main reason for AI adoption is the ability to deliver work more quickly. An impressive 71% of lawyers cited faster delivery as a key benefit of AI, followed by improved client service (54%) and gaining a competitive advantage (53%). When asked to select the single greatest benefit, 52% identified delivering work faster as the primary advantage.
This shift towards AI-driven efficiency is expected to bring changes to pricing structures. The survey found that 39% of private practice lawyers now expect to adjust their billing practices due to AI, up from 18% in January 2024. However, only 17% of those in private practice think that AI will end the billable hour model, while 40% believe it will remain and 42% are uncertain about its impact.
The survey also revealed 60% of firms or legal departments had made internal changes reflecting the growth of AI adoption. The most common change was offering an AI-powered product to staff, which rose from 15% in January 2024 to 36% by September 2024. There was also significant growth in developing policies on the use of generative AI (11% to 24%) and providing AI-related training for staff (11% to 18%). As expected, large law firms and corporate in-house legal teams were the most likely to have made changes, at 78% and 74% respectively.
Despite adoption rates, 76% of UK legal professionals are concerned about inaccurate or fabricated information from public-access generative AI platforms. However, 72% said they would feel more confident using a generative AI tool grounded in legal content sources with linked citations to verifiable authorities, up from 65% in January 2024.
Stuart Greenhill, Senior Director of Segments at LexisNexis UK, commented “The possibility of delivering work faster has seen widespread adoption, internal integration, and regular use of generative AI across the legal sector. There’s also a strong demand for AI tools that are grounded on reliable legal sources.
Yet the impact of this efficiency on the billable hour is becoming a topic of debate. As a result, the number of firms reconsidering pricing models has doubled throughout the course of 2024.”
