- Contrary to fears that AI will replace humans, leading law firms like Allens and King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) are recruiting more lawyers to verify and supervise the results generated by AI.
- According to a survey by The Australian Financial Review, 70% of the 53 law firms questioned reported an increase in non-partner lawyers by more than 5%, reaching nearly 18,800 people, while the number of partners grew by 3% to 4,600.
- At Allens, the number of non-partner lawyers increased by 11% to a record high of 1,078, despite a slight decrease in partners to 157. The firm uses over 6 AI tools, including Arlie (an internal version of ChatGPT), Microsoft Copilot, Thomson Reuters CoCounsel, Legora AI, and proprietary systems developed for tasks like contract review or legal due diligence.
- Innovation Director Lisa Kozaris said: “No single tool is right for every type of legal service. So, we build customized AIs when a market product doesn’t meet our standards.”
- Another internal tool helps automatically generate timelines of events and witnesses, reducing costs and increasing accuracy in case handling.
- At KWM, lawyers use KWM Chat (internal AI), Microsoft Copilot, Harvey, and Luminance, viewing AI as a “cognitive sparring partner.” CEO Renae Lattey stated: “AI not only assists but also sharpens critical thinking, helping lawyers spot blind spots and verify arguments.”
- Lattey described using Harvey to request “a list of 5–10 key issues” to broaden perspectives or “a summary of 3 main topics” when drafting client advice — improving the quality of arguments and the effectiveness of training for junior staff.
- Although KWM’s number of fee-earners decreased by 4% to 904, the firm emphasizes that AI boosts productivity and creativity, not by replacing people, but by “expanding cognitive capacity.”
📌 Summary: Contrary to fears that AI will replace humans, leading law firms in Australia are recruiting more lawyers to verify and supervise the results generated by AI. The race by law firms to build proprietary “AI tech stacks” is creating a new wave of demand for lawyers, as courts require meticulous verification of AI outputs. Instead of cutting staff, AI is redefining the legal profession, transforming lawyers into “AI trainers”—both performing legal checks and leveraging technology to make more precise and creative decisions.
