Generative AI tools trialled by 50% of legal practitioners across ANZ with in-house lawyers leading the way

LexisNexis, the leading global provider of legal information and analytics, surveyed over 560 lawyers and legal professionals throughout Australia and New Zealand to better understand overall awareness of generative AI, the current use of these tools, and likely adoption in the future.

Half of the legal professionals surveyed across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) have used generative AI tools to perform day-to-day operational tasks, however a degree of skepticism remains with many practitioners, according to the latest industry survey by LexisNexis.

As adoption of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, continues to rapidly grow across corporate sectors, ANZ lawyers have gone from having very little understanding of how AI will affect the legal industry, to 75% of respondents having at least some understanding of generative AI tools and how they can be used. Almost all respondents (94%) agreed that generative AI will have an impact (ranging from some-to-transformative) on routine tasks to create significant efficiencies.

The most cited application of generative AI technology was the ability to assist in drafting emails (18% of respondents) and conducting legal research (15% of respondents). Other uses of generative AI tools that rated highly included improving work quality and efficiency, summarising documents and understanding legal concepts.

Unsurprisingly, 52% of respondents remain skeptical about the ability for current generative AI tools to answer a legal research query. The primary driving factors behind the skepticism are accuracy, traceability and completeness, and ability to provide citations.

LexisNexis Managing Director, Asia & Pacific, Greg Dickason said: “For a time-poor profession, the legal community will undoubtedly be eager to embrace generative AI. It has the potential to fast-track the legal research, summarisation and drafting process, freeing up lawyers' time to focus on higher value services for their clients or organisations.”

“The survey also found that in-house lawyers are more open to adopting Generative AI than their counterparts in law firms. More than 50% of corporate / in-house lawyers surveyed are already using AI technology in their work and the majority expressed their willingness to integrate Generative AI in their daily tasks. This could lead to in-house teams managing more matters internally, and only brief for external support on significant/strategic items.”

“But many across the profession are still cautious about the adoption of this increasingly popular technology. Generative AI has the potential to save both in-house teams and external firms a huge amount of time and money, however there is a need for adopters to seek out trusted legal content, with world-class AI security measures in place, developed using ethical AI principles with expert human oversight.”

Respondents were asked their views on ethical implications regarding generative AI on the practice of the law, with most respondents (84%) illustrating some concerns on this issue. The ANZ response percentage was similar to LexisNexis’ USA survey findings, demonstrating the need for clear guardrails, principles and policies to support future implementation and adoption of the technology at a global level.

“The concerns of ANZ legal practitioners identified in our survey are consistent with what we have observed globally. The adoption of generative AI is also comparable to the hesitancy towards other recent significant technological disruptions to the legal sector, such as cloud storage, the proliferation of case management software, and data security.”

“Interestingly, about 60% of respondents believe they will be ‘left out’ if they don’t use AI tools. Furthermore, 78% of respondents believe that AI tools will impact the way firms operate and charge clients. Given the opportunity to create significant efficiencies, and reduce costs and the reliance on billable hours, firms will need to decide how to reinvest the cost savings and whether they pass on the savings to clients. This will hopefully result in greater competition and positive outcomes for clients/consumers,” said Mr Dickason.

LexisNexis® Legal & Professional announced the launch of the Australian commercial preview of Lexis+ AI™ in February 2024, a generative AI solution designed to transform legal work. Grounded in one of the largest repositories of accurate and exclusive legal content, Lexis+ AI combines the power of generative AI with proprietary LexisNexis search technology and authoritative content. LexisNexis' first to market generative AI solution spans 1.23 million documents in seconds, and based on global experience, is anticipated to save Australian lawyers an average of 11 hours per week across research, drafting, client communications, and case summarisation activity.

To support lawyers in their understanding of AI and the opportunities it will present, the Lexis+ AI Insider program offers free and exclusive access to webinars, thought leadership, and breaking news on the latest AI technologies free and open to all legal professionals.

Insiders can sign up to be among the first to experience Lexis+ AI. To join the Lexis+ AI Insider program, visit: https://www.lexisnexis.com.au/en/insights-and-analysis/artificial-intelligence. For more information on Lexis+ AI, visit www.lexisnexis.com.au

Media Contact
Monique Dorigo – 0423 567138
Head of Marketing, LexisNexis