# AI use rises among Victorian lawyers, but few pass savings to clients

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/more-than-half-of-victorian-lawyers-use-ai-but-only-a-quarter-have-cut-client-fees-as-a-result/
- Published: 2026-10-29T23:00:37+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T00:32:15+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/oct/30/victorian-lawyers-ai-clients-fees
- Topics: AI, Art, Culture, Research, Science, Software, Technology

## Key points

- AI use by Victorian lawyers rose to 55%.
- Only 26% said it reduced client fees.
- Clients’ AI research often brought extra correction work.

## Summary

AI use among Victorian lawyers rose to 55%, up from 37% the previous year, but only 26% said it had led to lower client fees. The findings suggest that wider adoption has not yet delivered the expected efficiency gains, while clients’ use of chatbots can create extra work for lawyers.

A census of 2,221 lawyers found consumer chatbots were far more commonly used than tools designed specifically for legal services. Nearly half of lawyers said clients brought inaccurate or misleading AI research, and 41% had to correct AI-generated documents; 46% said clients’ AI use increased the time and effort required. Fee reductions were reported more often for business clients than individuals, at 34% and 23% respectively.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.