A new survey of legal professionals in Australia and elsewhere in the world has revealed that Australian law firms are lagging behind their international counterparts in taking advantage of artificial intelligence.
LEAP Legal Software based its new research on responses from 700 legal professionals globally, with 219 of those polled in Australia.
While 57 per cent of international legal professionals reported regular use of integrated AI tools, that number drops to 37 per cent in Australia. Subsequently, 71 per cent of global respondents said that AI was helping them save time in their regular workday; however, that figure drops to just 50 per cent here in Oz.
“Our research shows that Australian firms are currently behind other markets in the adoption of legal-specific AI tools,” Tina Shergold (pictured), head of LEAP Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.
“While the caution is understandable given the importance of accuracy in legal work, firms that delay adoption too long risk missing out on the productivity gains that AI is already delivering elsewhere.”
Only 16 per cent of Australian legal practitioners use legal-specific AI tools as part of their workflows, compared to 49 per cent of global professionals. This correlates with a lack of trust in the platform among Australian professionals, with almost a third reporting low or no trust in AI integration – the highest recorded globally.
That said, legal professionals in Australia are making use of AI, even if it is behind the global average.
Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed said document review and management was made easier with AI tools, while 68 per cent reported using three or more AI platforms as part of their regular workflows.
The benefits are also clear to many respondents – 49 per cent of Australian professionals said they believe AI-driven drafting and document generation will improve profitability.
Technology investments generally are viewed positively, however. Investments in automation, document management, and legal research tools are expected to improve productivity and efficiency, despite platform fragmentation impacting workflows.
“The Australian legal sector is in a strong position, with firms confident about their future growth,” Shergold said.
“The challenge now is how firms translate that confidence into more efficient ways of delivering legal work, particularly as pricing pressure and operational complexity continue to increase.”
David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.