More than half of Victorian lawyers reported using artificial intelligence at work, but only 26% said it had reduced client fees, according to a new survey that also found lawyers were spending time dealing with clients’ inaccurate or misleading information and correcting AI-generated documents.
The 2026 census of 2,221 lawyers, conducted by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s legal services research centre and reported by the Guardian, found AI adoption had risen from 37% to 55% in a year. Consumer chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot featured prominently, with 79% reporting their use.
Courts and legal professional bodies across Australia have been grappling with lawyers’ and the public’s use of AI since 2023. The federal court issued new rules on generative AI in April.
Fee reductions were more common among lawyers working for business clients, at 34%, than among those serving individual fee-paying clients, at 23%. Some 18% reported that AI had enabled them to accept work that would previously have been uneconomical.
Dr Georgie Rychner, the principal researcher and report co-author, said fee reductions in corporate and big firms could be attributed to clients in those settings being repeat users of legal services. She said they have a high level of legal capability and may also use AI in their own work, giving them a better understanding and ability to advocate for lower prices, something she said was not seen as much in the community legal system sector.
Rychner said efficiency gains were smaller than expected. She noted that the previous year’s survey found 89% of practitioners said they had taken steps to verify AI outputs, which might have offset some efficiency gains.
Clients’ own use of the technology was also creating work. Some 46% of lawyers reported clients arriving with inaccurate or misleading information, while 41% reported receiving AI-generated documents that needed correction. Nearly half said clients’ AI use increased the time and effort required, compared with 19% who said it reduced that burden.
Rychner said clients were more frequently bringing misleading information than demonstrating a better understanding of their legal problems, but added that further research was needed into clients’ perspectives.
Adoption varied substantially by practice area: 85% in trade practices used AI, compared with 29% in criminal law. The age gap identified in the previous survey had largely disappeared, although use remained low among lawyers aged 60 and over.
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Lawyers reporting lower client fees due to AI, by client type
%
Source: Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s legal services research centre (2026 census of 2,2
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Analysis
Why This Matters
Wider AI adoption is not yet translating into lower legal bills for most respondents, with individual clients less likely than business clients to receive reductions.
Clients using chatbots to prepare for legal advice may create additional checking and correction work rather than save time.
Background
Generative AI can help draft documents and summarise material, but its outputs can contain errors. In legal work, checking those outputs is particularly important because advice and court submissions depend on accurate facts and authorities. This survey reports lawyers’ experiences, rather than independently measuring their productivity or clients’ final bills.
What to Watch
Whether future surveys show fee reductions becoming more common, particularly for individual fee-paying clients.
Whether further research into clients’ experiences supports lawyers’ reports about the costs and benefits of chatbot-assisted preparation.
Whether verification and correction work continues to offset the time lawyers save through AI.
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
SupportedOnly 26% of lawyers reported that AI had reduced client fees.Australia news | The Guardian: “just 26% of lawyers responding that their use of AI had resulted in lower client fees.”
SupportedNearly half of respondents said clients’ AI use increased lawyers’ workload.Australia news | The Guardian: “Nearly half of lawyers said there was an increase in time and effort required if their clients used AI”
SupportedMore than half of Victorian lawyers reported using AI at work.Australia news | The Guardian: “More than half of Victoria’s lawyers have reported using AI in their work”
SupportedThe 2026 census covered 2,221 Victorian lawyers and was conducted by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s legal services research centre.Australia news | The Guardian: “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”
SupportedReported AI use among lawyers rose from 37% to 55% in a year.Australia news | The Guardian: “rising from 37% to 55% in the last year.”
Supported79% reported using consumer chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.Australia news | The Guardian: “79% of lawyers reported using consumer chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.”
SupportedThe federal court issued new rules on generative AI in April.Australia news | The Guardian: “The federal court in April issued new rules around using generative AI”
SupportedFee reductions were reported by 34% of lawyers working for business clients and 23% serving individual fee-paying clients.Australia news | The Guardian: “Reduced fees were more likely to be reported by those working for business clients (34%) compared with individual fee-paying clients (23%).”
Supported18% reported that AI enabled them to take on work that would previously have been uneconomical.Australia news | The Guardian: “Some reported AI had enabled them to take on work that would have previously been uneconomical (18%).”
SupportedRychner said fee reductions in corporate and big firms could be attributed to clients there being repeat users of legal services.Australia news | The Guardian: “Dr Georgie Rychner, said fee reductions in corporate and big firms could be attributed to the fact clients in those settings were repeat users of legal services.”
SupportedRychner said 89% of practitioners in the previous year’s survey had taken steps to verify AI outputs, which might have offset efficiency gains.Australia news | The Guardian: “in 2025 the survey found 89% of practitioners said they had taken steps to verify the accuracy of AI output, which might have negated the gains.”
Supported46% of lawyers reported clients arriving with inaccurate or misleading information.Australia news | The Guardian: “46% of lawyers reporting their clients were arriving with inaccurate or misleading information”
