Gen AI has entered legal departments – and it’s here to stay
The share of corporate legal departments using generative artificial intelligence tools has nearly doubled in the space of a year, marking a decisive turning point in the relationship between lawyers and technology
According to a joint study by FTI Consulting and legaltech firm Relativity, 87% of general counsel now use Gen AI within their teams – up from 44% just twelve months ago. Furthermore, almost two in five respondents consider it a strategic priority for improving the efficiency of their department.
How Gen AI is being used
The most widespread use is document summarisation, cited by 83% of lawyers. This is followed by general research (70%), meeting transcription (67%), and the identification of contractual clauses (63%). Greater caution prevails, however, when it comes to entrusting AI with more sensitive tasks: only 23% say they are fully comfortable with automated contract drafting, 20% with contract review and analysis, and 13% with the drafting of legal memoranda. The areas attracting the most resistance are the review of legally privileged documents, investigative activities, and data breach management.
Structured training for risk management
As reported by the Global Legal Post, Sophie Ross (pictured, left), Global CEO of FTI Technology, observes that Gen AI has now become a standard tool in most legal departments, and that those who have yet to adopt it are already planning to do so in the near future. To make the most of it, she emphasises, investment in structured training and technology roadmaps will be essential — enabling innovation without overlooking risk management.
The figures confirm that the transformation is already well underway. The share of departments with a formal technology roadmap has risen to 53%, up from 25% the previous year. Some 70% are planning new technology investments in the coming year. And dedicated legal operations functions have grown from 29% to 41%, reflecting an increasingly structured and professional approach to management.
The end of the technophobic lawyer
David Horrigan (pictured, right), Discovery Counsel and Head of Legal Education at Relativity, is unequivocal: the era of the technophobic lawyer is over. In seven years of annual reports, he says, this year’s shift is the most significant yet. A new professional figure is also emerging – the so-called “digital ambassador” – identified by chief information officers as a growing presence within legal departments. This is the lawyer of the future: technologically proficient and at ease with digital tools.
(*The study is based on individual interviews with 30 Chief Legal Officers and a quantitative survey of over 200 General Counsel across twelve countries)
