Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept. It is rapidly reshaping entire industries — and the legal world is no exception.
From automating routine tasks to enhancing legal research and improving access to justice, AI in the legal profession is becoming an indispensable tool. In fact, it is becoming harder for lawyers to avoid: just opening Microsoft Outlook or Word offers the tool Copilot to draft an email or a document.
Italy has recently introduced legislation – Law no. 132 of 23rd September 2025 (implementing the comprehensive EU Regulation 1689/2024 on artificial intelligence known as the “EU AI Act“) – which clarifies the use of AI in various sectors including the legal profession. The UK does not yet have AI – specific legislation in place.
AI certainly offers tools that can enhance a lawyer’s work, for example it can review and analyse documents quickly, reducing time and cost. AI can predict legal outcomes by finding and applying reported caselaw to a given query, helping in preparating legal strategy. Traditionally, legal research involved a time-consuming manual review of case law, but new platforms can help find the relevant cases faster and summarise the legal principles automatically. AI can assist in contract drafting, scanning drafts to flag up risks and suggest additional protective clauses. In due diligence. AI can be used to sift through multiple documents to identify key issues.
AI can also be used to enhance the efficiency of law firm administration, for example in marketing, document and case management, invoicing and streamlining communications.
However, there are not only benefits to be gained by lawyers and their clients but also risks, and ethical challenges. Article 12 of the new Italian law no. 32/2025 introduces a new obligation which requires professionals, including lawyers, to disclose to their clients when AI systems are used to perform tasks. The lawyer must state clearly in writing that despite the use of AI, the professional remains solely responsible for the final output and the use of their professional judgment.
Will AI replace lawyers?
During the last year clients often approached our international law firm after having used first large language models such as Chatgpt or Gemini, for example to find a solution or draft a letter before action or a contract, or to write their Will, and then ask us to confirm the accuracy of the AI’s response. Does this mean that lawyers will soon be out of business?
For the moment, at least in certain areas of legal practice, the careful review of the relevant facts and the accurate preparation of a legal document by a trained lawyer cannot be easily replaced. AI platforms are only as accurate as the data and models they rely on. Lawyers must critically evaluate search results, as they carry professional responsability which their clients depend on.
In a niche international law practice such as Oliver & Partners, representing English speaking clients in Italy, our lawyers offer a special expertise of applying both common law principles and Italian law to cross-border scenarios, in both English and Italian. AI will probably struggle in competing with us, at least for the moment, as this is an area where solutions are provided based on personal experience of dealing with the authorities and courts in both countries.
For example, the complexities of a Will covering cross-border assets cannot be accurately assessed by Chatgpt, as only an experienced estate planning lawyer will know what key information needs to be assessed in terms of the location, nature and value of a clients assets, their nationality, domicile and residence, and their specific family background, which then needs to be assessed in the light of multiple jurisdictional rules.
As another example, Chatgpt fails to cut corners and find solutions amongst the complex wealth of rules applied to British citizens in Italy after Brexit, as the websites of the Questura, the Italian Consulate and the Italian Home Office are not seemingly updated regularly. AI fails to identify the correct articles of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement or the Free Movement Directive. Looking for solutions online using Google or Chatgpt to what immigration permit is required for Italy is likely to be very misleading and frustrating.
AI in Italian law firms
In Italy, AI adoption is rapidly growing, especially in larger law firms which carry out large scale due diligence and contract review in M&A and corporate practice. The platforms Lextel AI and Lexroom are commonly used for legal research and drafting of legal opinions (“pareri“) and court pleadings (“memorie” or “atti”), and are gaining popularity because they can understand the particular nuances of the Italian language unlike Chatgpt, for example. International AI research tools such as Lexis+ AI or Westlas Precision AI are now frequently used in multi-jurisdictional projects.
Lawyers in Italy must comply with professional conduct rules issued by the Consiglio Nazionale Forense as well as GDPR requirements. Key principles of the professional conduct rules include confidentiality, competence, and transparency.
AI in the UK legal profession
The UK legal sector, on the other hand is becoming a global leader in AI adoption. Many large UK firms even now have dedicated AI teams to drive adoption and strategy, train their lawyers and oversee ethics. According to the Law Society Gazette 78% of the top law firms now advertise their use of AI (up from 60% in 2024)
Regulated by bodies such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority, lawyers in the UK are encouraged to innovate responsibly using the new technology. The UK has a very strong lawtech ecosystem supported by initiatives such as LawTech UK, backed by the Ministry of Justice which promotes digital transformation and innovation in the legal sector. According to LexisNexis, 61% of UK lawyers now use generative AI in their work (compared to 46% in January 2025). There is still stigma attached, however, as lawyers are concerned that AI will be seen as cutting corners, so the culture inside law firms is still mixed.
In summary, with responsible adoption AI can enhance efficiency and improve client outcomes while preserving the core values of the legal profession. Going forward, AI must always be used by lawyers as a support tool, subject to careful review by traditional human intelligence, and legal experience and skill.