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More than half of Victorian lawyers use AI – but only a quarter have cut client fees as a result

More than half of Victoria’s lawyers have reported using AI in their work, according to a new study, but just over a quarter say they have reduced fees as a result of efficiency gains. They also say clients seeking advice from chatbots have added to their workload, forcing them to correct errors made by AI. The 2026 census of 2,221 of the state’s lawyers, conducted by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s legal services research centre, found a big increase in lawyers using AI in their practices,…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceEvidence: Moderate · 53/100 — Survey · n = 2,221 · 1 independent sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2314· cite & verify
More than half of Victorian lawyers use AI – but only a quarter have cut client fees as a result

In brief

A 2026 census of 2,221 Victorian lawyers, run by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner's legal services research centre, found AI use in legal practice rose from 37% to 55% in a year. Use was highest in trade practices, banking and finance, and lowest in criminal law.

The findings suggest efficiency gains are not being passed on to most clients, and that clients using chatbots for legal research can create extra work for lawyers. The researcher said more study is needed on client perspectives, and the efficiency gains were lower than expected, possibly because lawyers verify AI output.

Main points

  1. AI use among surveyed Victorian lawyers rose from 37% to 55% in a year.
  2. 79% of AI-using lawyers reported using consumer chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot, while 22% used only legal-specific tools.
  3. Fee reductions were more often reported for business clients (34%) than individual fee-paying clients (23%).
  4. 18% said AI let them take on work that would previously have been uneconomical.
  5. Nearly half of lawyers said client AI use increased time and effort, versus 19% who said it reduced it.

The problem

Only 26% of Victorian lawyers say AI has lowered client fees, and nearly half report more time and effort when clients bring AI-sourced advice, often inaccurate or needing correction.

The rundown

Use varied by practice area: 85% in trade practices, 78% in banking and finance and in IT and telecommunications, versus 29% in criminal law, 45% in family law and 46% in administrative law. The age gap seen in 2025, when use was highest among under-30s, had largely disappeared, though use remained low among those 60 and over.

Researcher Dr Georgie Rychner attributed larger fee cuts for corporate clients to their repeat use of legal services and high legal capability. She noted that in 2025, 89% of practitioners said they verified AI output, which might have offset efficiency gains.

The article places the findings in a wider context of regulatory concern. A Victorian lawyer was sanctioned last year over false citations, and investigations followed in Western Australia and New South Wales. The federal court issued new generative AI rules in April, and High Court chief justice Stephen Gageler said AI-generated content in cases had reached an unsustainable phase.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-29

The debate