Lawyers see artificial intelligence as 'next year's problem': International Bar Association report

The report highlighted people, clients, business and the rule of law as its four key themes, and presented 17 core areas that require lawyer response:

People:

• The push for equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the legal profession
• Mental health and wellbeing within the legal profession
• Change management and training on adopting AI-based technologies
• Talent attraction and retention

Clients:

• Meeting client expectations on AI and legal technology use in legal service delivery
• Globalisation and higher volumes of transnational client work
• Boosting demand for the provision of multiple services from a single provider – legal and non-legal
• Legal services providers satisfying client desires for demonstrable commitment to ESG

Business:

• Emerging unregulated entrants to the legal services market, like legal tech specialists
• The impact of climate change and other environmental concerns on legal service delivery business models
• Addressing concerns of external stakeholders like employees, government and broader society
• Using AI and other legal technologies to streamline legal service delivery and improve business performance
• Greater focus on financial performance and profitability

Rule of law:

• Challenges to legal profession independence, including the judiciary
• Using AI in dispute resolution and justice delivery
• Access to justice restrictions like economic and social inequality
• Impact of domestic/international political uncertainty on the legal/regulatory environment

The Future of Legal Services – White Paper 2024 is the second annual report produced by the IBA’s Future of Legal Services Commission. A survey was conducted from May 2024 to July 2024; respondents included lawyers, judges, law students and business professionals from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America and the Middle East. Both IBA members and non-members contributed.