Research and drafting
First drafts, case summaries, and research memos produced in minutes, with every authority verified by a lawyer before it goes anywhere near a client or a court.
Sector programmes · Legal services
AI in legal services,
checked, cited, defensible.
Independent, standards-led support for law firms, chambers, and in-house teams putting AI to work: grounded in SRA guidance, judicial expectations, and the duties of confidentiality and privilege, free of vendor incentives.
— State of play —
The profession moved fast.
The duties did not move at all.
Generative AI use among UK lawyers has grown several-fold in two years, from research and first drafts to disclosure review and contract analysis. Clients are asking about it in panel reviews, and the larger firms are building dedicated capability. The pressure to adopt is now competitive, not just curious.
The duties, meanwhile, are unchanged and the courts have shown they will enforce them. The High Court's 2025 ruling in Ayinde v Haringey, where invented authorities reached filed submissions, made the position plain: the lawyer is responsible for every citation, however it was drafted. SRA guidance, judicial guidance on AI, and legal professional privilege set the rest of the frame. Adopting quickly and staying inside it is where most firms need help.
~2 in 5
UK lawyers report using generative AI for work
4x
growth in professional use in around two years
<1 in 5
firms with a firm-wide AI policy in place
— Use cases —
Where AI is already
earning its keep.
The strongest legal use cases put speed into the first draft and keep a qualified lawyer responsible for the final one.
Disclosure and review
Large document sets searched by meaning rather than keyword, surfacing the documents that matter earlier and at a fraction of the review cost.
Contract analysis
Review against playbooks, clause extraction, and risk flagging across whole portfolios, so negotiation time goes to the clauses that deserve it.
Client intake and triage
Enquiries assessed, summarised, and routed to the right fee earner, with conflicts and limitation issues flagged earlier than a Monday-morning inbox allows.
Knowledge management
Precedents, opinions, and firm know-how made genuinely findable, so the second lawyer to face a problem starts from the firm's best answer, not a blank page.
Risk and compliance
AML checks, engagement letters, and file supervision supported with audit trails that satisfy the COLP, the insurer, and the regulator.
— How the Institute helps —
One institute,
three kinds of help.
Advice, engineering, and professional standards from a single independent body, with no software to sell.
Consultancy
Strategy, policy, and risk
Independent advisory for managing partners, COLPs, and general counsel setting an AI position that satisfies the regulator, the insurer, and the bench.
- Firm-wide AI policy and supervision frameworks
- Partner and risk committee briefings
- Readiness assessment and a costed roadmap
Solution design
Working systems, handed over
The Institute's engineering practice designs and builds AI systems around your practice management estate and confidentiality obligations, then hands them to your team.
- Drafting, review, and knowledge tools
- Deployment inside your confidentiality boundary
- Knowledge transfer to your own staff
Professional body
Standards, training, and research
As the UK's professional body for AI, the Institute trains and accredits staff, publishes research, and maintains the UK AI Readiness Charter.
- Staff training and accreditation pathways
- The UK AI Readiness Charter, free to sign
- Published research and sector guidance
— Sector considerations —
What we watch
most closely.
01
Accuracy
Invented authorities end careers
Generative tools fabricate convincing citations, and the courts have made clear that filing them is the lawyer's failure, not the tool's. Every authority is verified against the source before it leaves the building.
100%
of citations verified by a human
02
Confidentiality
Privilege is unforgiving
Client confidentiality and legal professional privilege do not bend for convenience. Where a tool runs, what it retains, and who can see it are settled contractually before any client matter touches it.
0
client data into unvetted public tools
03
Supervision
The signature still means something
SRA expectations on supervision apply regardless of who, or what, produced the first draft. Work is supervised, attributed, and owned by a qualified lawyer, and the file shows it.
1
qualified lawyer accountable for every output
04
Clients
Candour beats discovery
Clients are starting to ask how firms use AI, and finding out by accident is the worst answer. Engagement terms and panel responses should say what is used, for what, and under whose review.
100%
transparent with clients about AI use
05
Insurance
Your insurer is already asking
Professional indemnity insurers increasingly want to know how AI is governed before they price the risk. A documented policy, training records, and supervision evidence keep that conversation short.
1
question to expect at every renewal
Set your firm's
AI position.
A short call with the legal services team. Plain answers, a clear next step, and no software to sell.
— Go deeper
— Consultancy
Independent advice
Standards-led advisory for boards and leaders, with no software to sell.
— Solutions
Need it built?
Working AI systems designed and built by the Institute's engineering practice.
— Sectors
Explore other sectors
The full directory of IoAI sector programmes, grounded in UK regulation.