Landmark report reveals GenAI’s time-saving impact on legal work

A significant number of lawyers reported that GenAI helped them manage their workload more effectively, as new data highlights the substantial time savings of the new tech.

In a first of its kind report exclusively shared with City A.M., law firm Ashurst has reported that GenAI had aided legal work, particularly in creating first drafts quickly and efficiently.

The report outlined that the new tech has saved lawyers approximately 80 per cent of time on drafting UK corporate filings, 59 per cent of time on industry research reports and 45 per cent of time on first draft legal briefings.

Ashurst is the first law firm to pull back the curtains on its exploration of GenAI. From November 2023 to March 2024, Ashurst led three global GenAI trials involving 411 partners, lawyers and staff across its 23 offices in 14 countries.

A blind study within the report stated that it found GenAI-generated content can be difficult to distinguish from human output when legally correct.

The accuracy scores for GenAI ranged from 1 to 4 out of 5, while human content scored 3 to 4. It outlined that experts correctly identified all human-generated content but misidentified 50 per cent of GenAI output.

What the data says

The data goes into detail on the quality of GenAI outputs in a legal context. Ashurst’s trials showed that numerical scores alone can’t fully capture quality.

Its expects feedback revealed varied preferences and tolerance for errors, highlighting that quality assessments must consider both measurable criteria and subjective judgement.

The data did reveal that GenAI simplifies day-to-day tasks of a lawyer and boosts productivity.

Those surveyed said that on average, approximately 10 minutes were saved per 30-minute call. All of the staff across Ashurst found it useful for summarising meetings and acting as a second pair of eyes, while 88 per cent felt more prepared for the future with GenAI.

However, the “jagged frontier” of AI in the legal industry requires careful navigation to derive value.

The trial by the law firm showed GenAI’s mixed performance in legal tasks, while it shows effective use demands a sustained strategy, training, and continuous dialogue.

The participants also highlighted the need for broader digital literacy and development support at Ashurst.

The report was written by partner and chief digital officer Tara Waters, director Sarah Chambers, and senior manager Sophia Slade.

Speaking to City A.M. Waters stated that “the data proved to be a lot more complex and therefore not simply binary. The report aims to synthesise this into clear learning and recommendations, and hopefully sets the stage for further experimentation and sharing both intra- and inter-industry.”

However, she added that “one of the most common and frustrating misconceptions around GenAI is this notion that humans will be replaced by technology.”

“By bringing our people along on this journey it has gone some way to dispelling this myth. A real highlight of our research has been seeing people recognise and articulate the value that they bring to certain types of work, that cannot be replaced by AI,” she explained.

She add that “it’s not just about the GenAI product you onboard, it’s also ensuring your people know that it will supplement human interaction. GenAI will work with you not against you.”