The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Research in the Legal Profession

Abstract

Legal research is an indispensable skill for lawyers. Lawyers must conduct thorough legal research to address various legal issues effectively. Although the purpose and methodology of the research may vary from lawyer to lawyer, doing research is an everyday activity. The quest to assess the impacts of artificial intelligence (hereafter, 'AI') on legal research enables one to measure the influence of AI on the legal profession as a whole. With the advent of Legal AI, it is evident that the legal profession is not immune to disruption. This article assesses the impact of AI on research in the legal profession, examining how it facilitates various tasks performed by different legal professionals. The study aims to discuss the current and future positive and negative impacts of AI on research in the legal profession. This qualitative study primarily relies on the analysis of documents from both primary and secondary sources. The study finds that research in the legal profession is not immune to the impacts of AI, and AI influences research in the legal profession, both positively and negatively. The study underlines that the positive impacts of AI are far more significant than its negative externalities, which are usually temporary and related to the disruptive effects of technology on the legal profession. In the future, with the advent of Strong AI, the impact of AI on legal research will be far greater than mere automation.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Legal research, Disruption, Legal AI tools