More than half of Victorian lawyers use AI – but only a quarter have cut client fees as a result
Summary
A 2026 survey of 2,221 Victorian lawyers found that 55% used AI in their work, up from 37% the year before. Only 26% said AI had lowered client fees, while many reported spending extra time correcting inaccurate information and documents brought in by clients.Key Facts
- The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s research centre conducted the 2026 survey.
- AI use was highest in trade practices, at 85%, and lowest in criminal law, at 29%.
- Among respondents who used AI, 79% reported using consumer chatbots; 22% used legal-specific tools.
- Lawyers were more likely to report lower fees for business clients than for individual clients: 34% versus 23%.
- Eighteen percent said AI let them take on work that had previously been uneconomical.
- Forty-six percent of lawyers said clients arrived with inaccurate or misleading information, and 41% said clients brought AI-generated documents that needed correction.
- Nearly half of lawyers said clients’ AI use increased the time and effort required; 19% said it reduced that work.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
