The use of generative AI tools among legal professionals has surged in 2025, with nearly two thirds of lawyers now incorporating the technology into their daily work.  

The findings come from a new report by LexisNexis, which suggests the legal industry is undergoing a cultural shift, however not all firms are moving at the same speed.   

According to the AI Culture Clash, which surveyed over 700 UK-based legal professionals, 61% of respondents said they now use generative AI for work purposes, up sharply from 46% at the beginning of the year. The number of lawyers who say they have no plans to adopt the technology has dropped to just 6%.  

While AI uptake is rising across the board, smaller firms are emerging as early leaders in adoption. The report found that lawyers at small practices were twice as likely as their counterparts in larger firms to rely heavily on AI tools for routine legal tasks. In-house corporate teams also reported high levels of engagement with the technology, alongside academic legal professionals.  

Larger firms, by contrast, appear to be more cautious. Only 7%  of lawyers at medium or large practices said they leaned heavily on AI for day-to-day work, which is less than half the rate reported by smaller outfits.  

The gap points towards an evolving AI culture within the legal profession, one marked by experimentation, uneven investment and a growing tension between firms’ ambition and willingness to take risks.  

Time Saved and Reinvested  

For many lawyers, the integration of AI into their workflows has resulted in tangible benefits. A majority of respondents (56%) said time saved through AI use was reinvested in generating more billable work, while 53% said it enabled them to improve their work-life balance.   

Far fewer lawyers reported using that extra time to focus on building stronger client relationships or investing in personal and team development, suggesting that productivity and wellbeing remain the two primary gains.   

Yet concerns around the technology remain. Around 75% of respondents expressed worry about the reliability of AI outputs, particularly the risk of relying on inaccurate or fabricated information. Nearly half of lawyers surveyed were concerned about data confidentiality breaches, and an equal proportion feared becoming overly dependent on the tools.  

Despite these anxieties, the strategic importance of AI is becoming harder to ignore.  

Investment Gaps and Risks to Talent  

The report suggests that some firms may be putting their talent at risk by failing to embrace AI’s capabilities. Nearly one in five respondents said they would consider leaving their firm or team if it did not invest meaningfully in AI.   

Lawyers were asked to assess their organisation’s AI culture. The most common response was that their firm was “experimenting, but progress is slow”. Other common answers said that there was some interest that was not reflected in investment. A small portion of respondents reported that AI was already embedded in their firm’s operations.  

Another small portion said that there was either a resistance to AI in their firm or that the topic was not being discussed at all.   

Almost half of all lawyers believe AI will change how legal services are priced, up from 40% in January.