Artificial intelligence does not spell the end of the profession.
That was the message from Crown Solicitor Cecelia Christensen when she addressed the Queensland Law Society’s Government Lawyers Conference on Friday.
“What I see is benefits – benefits for government lawyers,” the keynote speaker told those gathered for the full-day event at Law Society House in Brisbane.
“The demand for legal services continues to rise and I don’t see this trend changing. There is much talk about our workflow pressures. Technology can help us manage that demand.
“In my view, our clients have significant unmet legal demand and it’s not a real option to meet that demand with increased human resources
“Commodification of legal products supported by technology can help meet that demand and … improve public service delivery.
“Automation alongside artificial intelligence can create efficiencies and save time. This can help us with workload and work life balance.”
Cecilia said law firms were already using AI to draft advices, court submissions and contracts; and review volumes of data.
“It’s still early days and there will be continuous evolution in relation to artificial intelligence for us, and while I’m not going to try and predict the new services, or the way we may use it or engage with it, I acknowledge it will be different for government lawyers,” she said.
She said AI would allow agencies to quickly gather relevant data and like examples.
“In the context of writing legal advice, this enhances consistency of approach and engages the benefits of the insights from different circumstances,” she said.
“I hope that artificial intelligence, not itself, but the disruption from it, provides viable solutions to shift the profession from time billings.”
She acknowledged, however, that issues of confidentiality, privacy, and consent would need to be carefully managed.
In her presentation titled Shaping the future: reflections on the evolution of government legal practice, Cecilia also addressed public expectations of government lawyers, including responsiveness, strategic value and communication.
“Establishing yourself as trusted advisors in a world increasingly dominated by technology may require us to also embrace and test new ways of maintaining client engagement,” she said.
“And unless we acknowledge that there are limits to the expertise we can offer to decision makers, and embrace working effectively with others, to ensure that all necessary expertise is available to support our clients, and therefore community … I see that as a strong part of our unique value.”
The session was one of seven in the conference program, which also covered topics including lessons from the PwC tax leaks scandal, AI for public sector lawyers and government powers exercised in emergencies.
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