Key points:
- Only one in five lawyers use generative AI daily, survey finds.
- Most attorneys cite data risks and lack of incentives as barriers.
- AI use is highest in tech-savvy practice areas like eDiscovery.
Artificial intelligence may be reshaping industries, but the legal profession remains measured in its embrace. According to Bloomberg Law’s State of Practice survey, only 21% of attorneys report using generative AI daily, while roughly a third haven’t used it at all in the past six months.
The restrained pace reflects an enduring tension in legal practice: balancing innovation with risk management. “We overestimate the impact technology is going to have in the short term and underestimate in the long term,” said Rudy DeFelice, global head of Harbor Labs. For many lawyers, the billable hour offers little motivation to pursue automation that could reduce time spent on client work.
Only 23% of respondents identified their firms or legal departments as early adopters of technology. Others cited reputational risks, particularly the potential for AI “hallucinations” or the mishandling of sensitive data. “We’ve got a good thing,” DeFelice added. “We bill by the hour.”
At firms like K&L Gates, enthusiasm for AI varies widely across practice groups. Of counsel Alicia Hawley said her eDiscovery team’s comfort with technology has made AI integration more natural. “Experience level and practice area both impact how open lawyers are to experimenting with these tools,” she noted.
Meanwhile, practitioners such as Benjamin Cramer of Wood + Lamping LLP are demonstrating AI’s tangible benefits. Using Microsoft’s Copilot, Cramer identified a $50,000 discrepancy across 14,000 IRS transactions—ultimately saving his client $600,000 in a settlement. “It’s not going away,” he said. “So let’s use it.”
The survey, which gathered over 750 responses in September 2024, offers a snapshot of an industry in cautious transition. While many attorneys remain wary, others may be using AI without realizing it—through integrated tools in email, video conferencing, or document platforms.
As DeFelice observed, the long-term trajectory is clear. Even if lawyers aren’t consciously adopting AI, “it’s being used around them.” The legal profession’s challenge now is to reconcile that quiet revolution with the structures and incentives that have long defined its work.
