It’s not quite lawyer robots, but AI is already profoundly reshaping the way the courtroom works. Paul Armstrong tells us how

AI is already reshaping the legal industry – just not in the way most expected. While early speculation focused on whether robot lawyers would replace human solicitors, the real shift is far less obvious and far more disruptive. AI-powered legal research, contract analysis and litigation forecasting are already in play, often behind the scenes. And with half of all employees globally using AI without employer approval – so-called shadow AI – many law firms are facing an uncomfortable reality: AI is already inside the building, whether they regulate it or not.

Hill Dickinson’s recent AI crackdown is just the beginning. While some firms restrict AI use outright, others are cautiously integrating it, recognising that AI isn’t just a tool – it’s an accelerant. Those who ignore or resist it entirely risk being outpaced by competitors leveraging AI-driven legal insights, data analytics and even judge-specific persuasion models to gain an advantage in court.

Shadow AI is the risk no-one sees

The biggest challenge for law firms isn’t AI itself – it’s the unregulated, unsanctioned use of it. Lawyers under pressure to produce work faster are already turning to AI tools, whether or not their firms allow it. According to Software AG, 50 per cent of employees across industries are using AI without official approval, often by copying case documents into ChatGPT, Deepseek or Grammarly. In law, that’s a huge liability.

Law firms that assume client confidentiality is airtight may already have unknowingly exposed sensitive legal documents to external servers, as many AI tools store or even process uploaded content for further model training. The moment a confidential case file is pasted into an AI chatbot, the firm may have breached client privilege. And it’s not just a data security issue – AI’s tendency to “hallucinate”........

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