NEW research highlights that Victorian lawyers need more support to adopt AI if the profession is to harness the vast possibilities of the technology beyond just workforce productivity.
The new report, Generative AI Use in the Legal Profession: Findings from the 2025 Victorian Lawyer Census, examines how Victorian lawyers use generative AI, the challenges and risks they associate with it, and the opportunities this transformative technology may present for the profession and ultimately consumers of legal services.
The findings reveal that 36.7 per cent surveyed are using AI tools in their legal practice, with over half of these using them daily or weekly. Adoption of the technology varied with years of experience, between lawyers working in legal and non-legal organisations, and by practice area.
“Our research shows that the legal profession is grappling with ways to use AI that realise its benefits while also mitigating the risks,” said Legal Services Research Centre’s Research Director, Professor Nigel Balmer.
“As we stand, AI in legal practice is largely valued for improving productivity, with far fewer lawyers associating it with enhanced quality, affordability or accessibility. Bridging this gap is essential if AI is to bring broader benefits to the communities we serve, beyond just making work more efficient.”
AI tools were most frequently used for background research on non-legal issues, legal research and case analysis, and client communication, followed by document review, transcription and contract drafting. Consequently, the most common uses were in the areas of information-gathering, drafting and administration, rather than legal decision-making or the production of court documents.
Consistent with the most common uses, AI is perceived by Victorian lawyers primarily as a tool for workflow optimisation rather than service improvement. 71.3 per cent agreed that enhanced efficiency and productivity is a major benefit.
Few lawyers saw affordability, accessibility or competitive advantage as a benefit, and fewer still believed it improved quality or client satisfaction.
While AI presents significant opportunity for the legal sector, the report cautions there are emerging challenges including:
• the impacts on the development and retention of core professional skills
• the lack of support for lawyers outside traditional legal settings to understand their legal-specific professional obligations, and
• the potential to improve service quality, affordability and access to justice remains largely unexplored.
