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06 September 2018 / Nancy Jessen
Issue: 7807 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Profession , Technology
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A changing landscape

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It’s time for lawyers to get smart about artificial intelligence. Nancy Jessen reports

  • ​How is the legal profession perceiving artificial intelligence and adapting to it?
  • Are firms taking the steps needed to embrace AI or is the fear that lawyers are being replaced pervading the industry?

Recent studies are forecasting that by 2021, 46% of companies will not only have implemented artificial intelligence (AI), but also be spending in excess of $58bn annually on it. AI is being bought, built and used at a higher rate than ever before across a range of industries, with the aim of furthering businesses’ goals in making them as cost-efficient and productive as possible.

LexisNexis recently conducted a survey with lawyers, which showed that 75% of respondents realised that their sector is changing at a faster pace than ever before, but somewhat contradictory only 20% of the lawyers surveyed agreed that their firm needed to evolve. So do the other 80% of respondents believe that their firms are already doing enough, or are they not fully appreciating

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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