Survey finds widespread adoption of AI by legal professionals but concerns remain over inaccurate information

However, more than four in five (83%) of the 543 respondents were concerned about relying on inaccurate or fabricated information.

This is ahead of other concerns, such as confidential-data leakage (53%) and becoming too reliant on AI (52%).

More than three quarters (77%) meanwhile believe AI is causing clients or the public to misinterpret the law.

Some 81% of the legal professionals surveyed do feel more comfortable using AI when it is grounded on legal sources, up around 10% from similar research carried out in 2025.

One in ten (10%) say they are now dependent on AI to do their job.

Legal research is the leading use case, with 69% currently utilising the technology for this work, followed by document summarisation at 62%. Drafting and document review are both at 53%.

The proportion of organisations with AI embedded in strategy and operations has risen sharply, from 17% in January 2026 to 29% today.

The survey also highlighted shifting expectations around the commercial impact of AI. More than half (55%) of respondents now believe law firms will change how they bill because of AI, compared with 40% in January 2025.

Last month the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) issued a warning notice to remind the legal profession of their professional obligations when using AI.

The warning notice comes as the regulator revealed it had received 42 reports related to the potential misuse of AI between July 2025 and July 2026.

In the notice, the SRA expressed concern about court, or other, documents containing false or incorrect information, including citations, as a result of the misuse of AI and the risk that it may produce 'hallucinations'. 

The SRA was also concerned that those it regulates are not fully considering and appropriately mitigating risks to client confidentiality when using AI systems, particularly in relation to clients' personal data or other confidential information.

It acknowledged the benefits of AI, but warned lawyers that the use of AI does not diminish their professional responsibilities, demanding that they “remain accountable for all work and advice delivered to clients, whether or not AI has been used in its preparation.”

The editor of LexisNexis’ report, Dylan Brown, said: “The findings point to a legal profession that is becoming more comfortable with AI, but more demanding about the trust, accuracy and authority behind it. As adoption accelerates, lawyers increasingly want AI tools that support rather than replace professional judgement.”

Harry Rodd