Record AI usage but firm culture still 'slow and fear-based', research finds

A record number of UK lawyers are now using AI in their work, but firm culture and governance are struggling to keep up, according to LexisNexis' latest generative AI survey.

Adoption without a strategy

The research surveyed more than 700 UK lawyers and found that 61% now use AI in their work - up from 46% in January and just 25% at the start of 2024.

But only 17% said AI is embedded into their firm’s strategy, while four in five described their organisation’s AI culture as "slow, fear-based or non-existent". That mismatch points to tools being rolled out faster than the structures to govern them - a gap flagged by Addleshaw Goddard innovation head Kerry Westland in a LinkedIn post on the research.

AI in practice

Among those using AI, the most commonly reported benefits were freeing up time for more billable work (56%) - especially in large firms (61%) - followed by improving work-life balance (53%). A quarter said they used the saved time to build client relationships or invest in professional development.

Interestingly, in-house lawyers are already ahead of their private practice counterparts in day-to-day AI use, with 18% reporting heavy reliance compared with 7% at large and medium-sized firms.

Obstacles remain

Among the biggest issues getting in the way of further usage are the risk of AI providing inaccurate or fabricated information (so-called "hallucinations") - which worries three-quarters of current adopters, as well as fears around confidentiality breaches and over-reliance, both of which were mentioned by 47% of respondents.