Last week, Brodies LLP hosted an international conference in Edinburgh, involving more than 200 lawyers from across the globe in collaboration with TerraLex – an international network of law firms. One of the sessions involved more than 20 international employment and labour lawyers listening to two clients discuss the way in which AI is transforming the HR function in their businesses. We conducted a survey among attendees to capture a snapshot of how lawyers in international firms are currently using AI in their day-to-day work, and how they expect that to change in the future.
From the responses, AI is already firmly embedded in legal practice: 73% of attendees said they use AI in their work on a daily basis, with a further 14% using AI weekly. Only a small minority reported using AI monthly (5%) or only occasionally (8%).
Looking ahead, the vast majority of firms predicted more investment in AI, with 95% saying they expected their firm to invest significantly more in AI over the next 12 months than in the previous year.
Survey respondents were asked to comment on what their main concern was about the use of AI in relation to their legal work. The responses centred around a few clear themes: accuracy was the top concern (with concerns that some may rely on AI’s outputs without checking the accuracy sufficiently). Other potential issues related to confidentiality/privilege in relation to the use of AI tools; pricing and how to monetise AI effectively; and the impact on training and development of junior associates (including concerns about loss of analytical skills and the future for junior lawyers). There were also comments about the supervision of the outputs of AI (especially if there is a large volume to supervise). A further concern related to whether clients’ expectations for faster delivery of legal services would increase once AI is more fully embedded in legal services.
The survey suggests that employment lawyers are anticipating significant changes to the way in which we work and an appetite for investment in AI tools - alongside practical questions about safe, effective implementation to benefit clients and retain the skills that the legal profession will need for the future.
