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AI is viewed as a ‘next-year problem’ by lawyers, IBA survey shows
Although artificial intelligence has been a prominent topic of discussion within the legal profession for several years, a recent survey by the IBA found that many lawyers do not consider this technology a priority or worthy of immediate attention.
Grace Robbie
Last week, the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Future of Legal Services Commission (FLSC) published its second annual report, providing an in-depth analysis of the current state of the legal profession to help lawyers gain a deeper understanding of the global issues impacting the field.
In the Future of Legal Services - White Paper 2024, the FLSC identified 17 key themes and developments that are impacting the legal profession and categorised them under four core pillars: people, clients, business, and the rule of law.
A major focus of this year’s report is the growing need for the legal sector to address the implications of artificial intelligence (AI).
The findings suggested that while AI is primarily viewed as a medium-term challenge, many in the profession continue to view it as a “next year’s issue” rather than recognising it as an immediate priority requiring urgent attention.
These findings stand in contrast to last year’s inaugural report, which emphasised AI as a long-term challenge that demanded the profession’s utmost focus. However, despite this shift in perception, the 2024 report reveals that the legal sector remains ill-prepared to confront the potential threats and opportunities presented by AI.
By examining these perceptions of AI, the FLSC’s report concluded that the “international legal community lacks preparedness and understanding of the threats and opportunities presented by AI”.
To address this issue, the report highlighted that a key takeaway for the legal profession is the need to “increase organisational focus on AI”, particularly in the areas of change management and personnel training, as this will ensure that professionals are well equipped to respond effectively as the challenge evolves.
Alongside AI, the report also examined the issue of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) as a longer-term issue, despite last year’s survey anticipating that this area would be a significant growth area within the legal profession.
Despite this shift, the FLSC's report found that organisations appear “more prepared to respond to this challenge” than they were a year ago. The report attributes this increased readiness to “more organisations investing in the resourcing and professionalisation of responsible business teams”.
While ESG as a whole may be receiving less attention, the report identified how several critical issues within this domain fall within its broader scope that “remain highly impactful” and “are growing over time”.
Notably, it identified that the “drive for diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession, concerns around mental health and wellbeing of professionals, and the impact of climate change on legal business models either remain high in importance or their impact is predicted to grow rapidly from the short to medium term”.
Another noteworthy finding in the FLSC’s 2024 report is the decrease in the perceived impact of challenges related to the rule of law, describing it as “surprising in some ways, but unsurprising in others”.
The findings from last year’s report underscored that these challenges were widely recognised by the profession as significant, with a clear need for proactive action.
While the apparent reduction in impact might initially be interpreted as a positive development, the FLSC’s report cautioned that a closer examination of the findings reveals concerning trends. Despite the perceived decline in impact, the report highlights that these issues have received minimal attention, with preparedness levels remaining alarmingly low.
