Explore the pros and cons of an AI lawyer, with insights on legal accuracy, ethics, and the evolving role of AI among the Canadian legal profession
In a field which values integrity, prides itself on intellect, and is centered on human interactions, how does the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) affect the legal profession? More so, is an AI lawyer on par with a human one, or is it even ethical to use AI in this legal field?
Here, we’ll discuss AI lawyers: their potential ethical and legal concerns for Canadian lawyers, and whether their use can be balanced with the profession’s need for efficiency.
For a more interactive discussion on this topic, we encourage legal professionals to hop in on our upcoming in-person events.
Since it doesn’t really have a fixed definition yet, AI lawyers can generally refer to any of these:
new programs or tools, which both the public and legal professionals can use, to help them in their legal concerns
lawyers who use AI in their day-to-day tasks, or law firms that have integrated AI in their workflows
lawyers working in the field of AI, who advise clients on AI’s development and challenges, as applied to other legal fields, such as privacy, data protection, intellectual property, etc.
For this article, we’ll use the first mentioned definition of an AI lawyer: those open-source generative AI that a lot of people are turning to when they have a legal question. As it has become so popular, there have been legal and ethical concerns, not just for the public, but also for lawyers who use them.
This video briefly explains the possible impacts of using AI for lawyers and how an AI lawyer may look like in the future:
For more insights on AI lawyers, join the Canadian Legal Summit, an innovative new event by Canadian Lawyer, launching in October 2025.
As the regulating bodies of lawyers, provincial and territorial law societies have a thing or two to say when it comes to AI in the legal profession. As response to AI’s hype, some Law Societies have released their own white papers and guidelines on the use of generative AI, including those in:
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) have also developed their own white paper on AI to help their member-lawyers apply this emerging technology in their practice. Other legal organizations also pattern their own guidelines from these issuances. All these must be read with every Law Society’s Code of Professional Conduct.
However, these guidelines are expected to change every now and then, especially when mirrored with the fast-paced development of generative AI.
For instance, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) released its “White Paper on Generative AI” last April 2024, as developed by its Futures Committee.
Key features of this white paper include discussions on the:
Here’s an example of how lawyers’ regulatory bodies, such as the Manitoba Bar Association, have started to regulate the use of AI:
Check out our Legal Technology page for more insights and resources discussing AI and other useful tech for lawyers.
CBA members are guided by its practice toolkit called “Ethics of AI for the Legal Practitioner” when integrating AI in their legal practice. This was developed by its subcommittee since 2023. These guidelines by the CBA can be used in addition to the white papers issued by the Law Societies.
Here’s an overview of this practice toolkit:
Until there’s a clear-cut regulation on when lawyers can or cannot use AI, there will always be an ethical dilemma for lawyers using AI versus their professional duty. Even if there are some statutory safeguards in place, there will still be concerns on the effects of AI lawyers, especially in the legal profession.
With all the promises presented by AI, there’s still some negative perception when it’s merged with the law—at least for how the public perceives AI lawyers. According to a recent survey, only one-tenth of Canadians are comfortable with AI making legal decisions.
Also, it begs the question: who is liable if AI lawyers err? Real-life lawyers can be punished when they’re in the wrong, but how about AI lawyers that give false legal info or violate one’s rights?
These concerns show that most people would still need the legal services of a human lawyer, rather than a machine, which is meant to support lawyers, not replace them.
It’s not all butterflies and rainbows when relying on AI lawyers for legal services. The following are some of the risks when using generative AI, as listed by LSO’s white paper on generative AI:
spreading confidential information: when lawyers input sensitive information into a generative AI tool, there’s a risk that this might become public or shared with third parties, since generative AI uses its users’ inputs to train their tools
generating inaccurate information: generative AI are prone to hallucinations, such as providing users with entirely fabricated data or mischaracterizing real data, which is often presented in a confident and compelling manner
perpetuating existing biases: because generative AI are trained from different sources of information, it may perpetuate existing biases based on the biased or prejudiced data that it was trained on
risks during client intake: when AI chatbots are used for client intakes (e.g. if embedded on the firm’s website), there are risks that a lawyer-client relationship will be created even without the lawyer’s or firm’s knowledge
giving indirect legal advice: the same with the risks during client intake, the responses given by an AI may be considered by the client as legal advice, and worse, inaccurate information may be given to them
As such, lawyers are encouraged to be careful when using AI to prevent any consequences or putting clients and their legal matters at a losing end.
Lawyers have always been an enemy of time; there’s so much to do with too little time. This is where AI is hitting that sweet spot for lawyers. By freeing them from mundane and routinary tasks, they can have more time for other important things.
Undeniably, we’ve been fans of all the good things that AI has been feeding us; one of these is how it automates simple but time-consuming tasks. With its speed unmatched by your usual office worker, most tasks are now done by these tools.
Law firms are also quick to adapt to this new opportunity. While recognizing that not all jobs can be replaced by an emotionless screen, here are some of the legal tasks that are now being automated by lawyers and firms:
legal research: one of the most dragging and tedious roles, especially for paralegals and support staff, is conducting legal research, to which AI can help by filtering countless information that are only relevant to the case
reviewing legal documents: by using AI, firms can initially go over and assess legal documents, such as contracts and pleadings, before it’s again thoroughly checked by a human lawyer for the court or to the client
digesting case law: when faced with many cases to summarize, lawyers can get important information and apply it to the case at hand using AI, hastening this very labourious process
data management: firms handle a lot of data, which can be overwhelming at times; but firms can use AI for their data management, in addition to safeguarding hard copies of their files and client documents
marketing: AI tools can help in implementing marketing strategies for law firms and lawyers, especially when they're programmed to do these tasks within the marketing regulations by Law Societies
While routine legal tasks can now be easily done by using AI, there are certain tasks that AI lawyers cannot do, such as:
talking to clients: until such time that there are AI lawyers who can—legally and ethically—think and act, facing up a client and handling their unique legal issues will still be done by a lawyer made up of flesh and blood
evaluating the client’s needs: although the public can just easily ask an AI lawyer on the possible remedies for their legal issues, human comprehension is still necessary to suggest a proper remedy for a specific legal problem
complex legal issues: since an AI lawyer may have a difficult time in developing legal strategies, those who have complex legal issues cannot get the best answer just by simply asking these tools
When harnessed properly, AI can help both lawyers and the public. Professionally, lawyers can use AI to improve their daily to-dos. In addition, legal knowledge can be easily shared with the public, without the need for too much legalese.
In what seems to be the inescapable future of AI lawyers, the current consensus is that AI will not be replacing lawyers anytime soon. However, it’s said that the lawyers who have not yet adapted to helpful technologies—and not just AI—are the ones who will be having a difficult time.
As with any other professions that need that human touch, AI lawyers are just a tool for the legal professionals, or even the public, in understanding the law and simplifying tasks. Unless they can sympathize and interact with clients and face the judge in court, warm-bodied lawyers will still be essential.
One thing’s for sure: AI is here, whether we like it or not. It’s how we use this new opportunity to improve our daily lives that will matter. The same goes for AI lawyers—which still face a lot of issues, especially where ethics and regulations are concerned.
Regardless, lawyers who use AI are rising, and so far, we have seen faster and more efficient output, depending on who you’re asking. Still, the profession’s continued use of AI will hopefully result in conversations to answer the question—are AI lawyers our best legal solution or are they just another marketing hype that will die soon enough?
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