AI usage among lawyers swells despite little governance and training, new report says
Lawyers are becoming increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence, as their use of general-purpose and legal-specific tools more than doubled in the past year.
According to the latest legal industry report from professional business platform 8am, which was published Thursday, nearly 70% of legal professionals now use general-purpose AI tools for work, compared to only 31% last year. At the same time, 42% now use legal-specific AI tools, compared to last year’s 21%.
The adoption of AI tools firmwide is slightly lower at 34%, but the report notes its increase from 21% last year.
“Across the industry, we’re seeing AI move from novelty to necessity,” Nicole Black, principal legal insight strategist at 8am and a regular ABA Journal columnist, said in a March 5 press release. “Usage is rising quickly, and firms are gravitating to legal-specific AI tools within trusted systems.”
Despite the increase in AI use and ongoing concerns with data security and ethical issues, the report also shows that governance and responsible use training have yet to become mainstays in most law firms. According to the report, 43% of legal professionals say their firms do not have a formal AI policy, while 54% say their firms provide no AI training.
Meanwhile, 24% of legal professionals say their firms now are developing an AI policy, and 9% say their firms currently have one and that it is enforced. Regarding AI training, 11% say it is mandatory, and another 11% say it is optional.
Among its other findings, the report tracks how often attorneys use AI tools and whether they see professional benefits. Nearly 60% use AI tools every day or several times per week, and 94% have noticed measurable time savings and improvements in the quality of their work. Additionally, 38% say AI saves up to five hours each week.
“The benefits are measurable, but firms are also taking a more deliberate approach to implementation to address security, privilege and accuracy,” Black said in the press release. “The focus now is scaling adoption responsibly.”
The full 8am 2026 Legal Industry Report, which also highlights ongoing access-to-justice challenges, can be found here.
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