Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on the Legal Fraternity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32890/uumjls2022.13.2.6Keywords:
Artificial intelligence (AI), legal fraternity, implications, recommendationsAbstract
The article endeavors to analyze the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal fraternity. There have been various reports on the impact and challenges of AI in the legal fraternity in recent years. AI is used to perform legal work previously completed solely by human lawyers. The rise of AI technology has caused a great deal of apprehension among members of the legal fraternity both in Malaysia and globally. AI promises to disrupt the substratum of how legal work is practiced and delivered. Nevertheless, there are
implications encountered by the legal fraternity in adopting AI in legal practice such as ethical responsibility, algorithm bias, data privacy and the lack of regulations for AI. The doctrinal method was employed in conducting this study. The primary objective of this article is to evaluate the implications of AI adoption in the legal fraternity and to propose recommendations for better integration of AI in the legal industry.
References
Alarie, B., Niblett, A., & Yoon, A. H. (2018). How artificial intelligence will affect the practice of law. University of Toronto Law Journal, 68 (supplement 1), 106–124. https://doi.org/10.3138/ utlj.2017-0052
Armour, J., Parnham, R., & Sako, M. (2021). Unlocking the potential of AI for English law. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 28(1), 65-83.
Baker, J. J. (2018). A Legal Research Odyssey: Artificial intelligence as disruptor. Law Libr. J., 110(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.2139/ ssrn.2978703
Becerra, S. D. (2018). The rise of artificial intelligence in the legal field: Where we are and where we are going. Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law, 11(1), 27.
Bhora, D., & Shravan, K. (2018-2019). Demystifying the role of artificial intelligence in legal practice. Nirma University Law Journal, 8, 1.
Brennan-Marquez, K., & Henderson, S. E. (2019). Artificial intelligence and role-reversible judgment. The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 109, 137.
Brooks, C., Gherhes, C., & Vorley, T. (2020). Artificial intelligence in the legal sector: Pressures and challenges of transformation. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 13(1), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsz026
Bues, M. M., Matthaei, E. (2017). LegalTech on the Rise: Technology changes legal work behaviours, but does not replace its profession. In Jacob, K., Schindler, D., Strathausen, R. (Eds) Liquid Legal Management for Professionals (pp 89-109). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45868-7_7
Calo, R. (2015). Robotics and the lessons of cyberlaw. California Law Review, 103(3), 513. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2402972
Campbell, R. W. (2016-2017). The end of law schools: Legal education in the era of legal service businesses. Mississippi Law Journal, 85, 1.
Carrel, A. (2018-2019). Legal Intelligence through artificial intelligence requires emotional intelligence: A new competency model for the 21st century legal professional. Georgia State University Law Review, 35(4), 1153.
Castel, M. E., & Castel, J. G. (2016). The impact of artificial intelligence on Canadian law and the legal profession. Advoc. Q., 46, 34.
Connell, W. J. (2018). Artificial Intelligence in the legal profession— What you might want to know. Rhode Island Bar Journal, 66(6), 5–43.
Dabass, J., & Dabass, B. S. (2018). Scope of artificial intelligence in law. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201806.0474. v1
Dale, R. (2019). Law and word order: NLP in legal tech. Natural Language Engineering, 25(1), 211–217. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1351324918000475
Damanhuri, F.Z. (2019, April 3). Malaysia-embracing technology in the legal industry- “Adapt” or “be dropped”. Conventus Law. https://www.conventuslaw.com/report/malaysia-embracing-technology-in-the-legal/
Davis, A. E. (2020). The future of law firms (and lawyers) in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Revista Direito GV, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6172201945
Gill, K. S. (2020). Dance of the artificial alignment and ethics. AI & Soc, 35, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-019-00923-w
Goodman, C. C. (2019). AI/Esq.: Impacts of artificial intelligence in lawyer-client relationships. Oklahoma Law Review, 72, 149.
Gravett, W. H. (2020). Is the dawn of the robot lawyer upon us? The fourth industrial revolution and the future of lawyers. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 23(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2020/v23i0a6794
Hutchinson, T., & Duncan, N. (2012). Defining and describing what we do: Doctrinal legal research. Deakin Law Review, 17(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.21153/dlr2012vol17no1art70
Faggella, D. (2020, March 14). AI in law and legal practice-A comprehensive view of 35 current applications. Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research. https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/ ai-in-law-legal-practice-current-applications/
Foong, C. L. (2019, January 28). Introduction of legal technology provision in the new Malaysian legal Profession Act. Foong Cheng Leong Legal Articles on Intellectual Property, Information Technology, Data Privacy and Franchise Laws. https://foongchengleong.com/2019/01/introduction-of-legal-technology-provision-in-the-new-malaysian-legal-profession-act/
Jalil, J. A., & Sheriff, S. M. (2020). Legal tech in legal service: Challenging the traditional legal landscape in Malaysia. IIUM Law Journal, 28(S1), 279–301. https://doi.org/10.31436/ iiumlj.v28i(s1).586
Kelly, J. E. (2015). Computing, cognition and the future of knowing; How humans and machines are forging a new age of understanding. Whitepaper, IBM Research, 2.
Kuek Ser, K. Z. (2020, October 19). Legal Tech: AI set to change the face of legal industry. The Edge Markets. Make Better Decisions. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/legal-tech-ai-set-change-face-legal-industry
Lauterbach, A. (2019). Artificial intelligence and policy: Quo vadis? Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance. 21(3), 238-263. https://doi.org/10.1108/dprg-09-2018-0054
Legg, M., & Bell, F. (2019). Artificial Intelligence and the legal profession: Becoming the AI-enhanced lawyer. University of Tasmania Law Review, 38, 34. http://dx.doi. org/10.5040/9781509931842 Legal Profession Act 1976. Legal Profession (Practice & Etiquette) Rules 1978.
Lin, T. C. W. (2019). Artificial intelligence, finance, and the law. Fordham Law Review, 88(2), 531–552.
Low, J. (2019, February 19). Legal Tech Scene in Malaysia. Legal Business World. https://www.legalbusinessworld.com/ post/2019/02/19/legal-tech-scene-in-malaysia
Manap, N. A., & Abdullah, A. (2020). Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Malaysia: The two-tier approach. UUM Journal of Legal Studies, 11(2), 183–201. https://doi.org/10.32890/ uumjls.11.2.2020.8779
Markoff, J. (2011, March 4). Armies of expensive lawyers, replaced by cheaper software. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes. com/2011/03/05/science/05legal.html
Marr, B. (2018). Is Artificial Intelligence dangerous? 6 AI risks everyone should know about. Forbes.
McCarthy, J. (2007, November 12) What is artificial intelligence? http://jmc.stanford.edu/articles/whatisai/whatisai.pdf
McCarthy, J. (1956). The inversion of functions defined by Turing machines. Automata studies, 177–181.
McGinnis, J. O. (2014). Machine v. Lawyers. As information technology advances, the legal profession faces a great disruption. City Journal. https://www.city-journal.org/html/ machines-v-lawyers-13639.html
McGinnis, J. O., & Pearce, R. G. (2019). The great disruption: How machine intelligence will transform the role of lawyers in the delivery of legal services. Actual Probs. Econ. & L., 13, 1230.
McKamey, M. (2017). Legal technology: Artificial intelligence and the future of law practice. Appeal: Review of Current Law & Law Reform, 22, 45. Moore v Publicis Groupe, [2012]. No. 11 Civ. 1279(ALC)(AJP) 287 F.R.D. 182.
Nagarajan, G., & Thyagharajan, K. K. (2012). A machine learning technique for semantic search engine. Procedia Engineering, 38, 2164–2171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2012.06.260
Nelson, S. D., & Simek, J. W. (2017). Running with the machines: AI in the practice of law. Law Prac., 43, 24.
Nunez, C. (2017). Artificial intelligence and legal ethics: Whether AI lawyers can make ethical decisions. Tulane Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property, 20, 189.
Ou, E. (2016, September 22). Why hire a lawyer when a robot will do? Artificial intelligence is learning to do legal grunt work. Bloomberg Asia Edition. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ articles/2016-09-22/why-hire-a-lawyer-when-a-robot-will-do
O’Toole, J. (2014, March 28). Here come the robot lawyers. CNN Business. Innovation Nation. https://money.cnn. com/2014/03/28/technology/innovation/robot-lawyers/
Petit, N. (2017). Law and regulation of artificial intelligence and robots-conceptual framework and normative implications. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2931339
Reiling, A. D. (2020). Courts and Artificial Intelligence. International Journal for Court Administration, 11(2), p. 1. https://doi.org/10.36745/ijca.343
Remus, D., & Levy, S. F. (2017). Can robots be lawyers: Computers, lawyers, and the practice of law. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, 30, 501.
Ribstein, L. E. (2010). The death of big law. Wis. L. Rev., 749.
Rogers, J., & Bell, F. (2019). The Ethical AI Lawyer: What is Required of Lawyers When They Use Automated Systems?. Law, Technology and Humans, 1, 80-99. https://doi.org/10.5204/lthj. v1i0.1324
Sahota, N. (2019, February 9).WillAI put lawyers out of business? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/
Scherer, M. U. (2015). Regulating artificial intelligence systems: Risks, challenges, competencies, and strategies. Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, 29(2), 353. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2609777
Semmler, S., & Rose, Z. (2017). Artificial Intelligence: Application today and implications tomorrow. Duke Law & Technology Review, 16(1), 85.
Simon, M., Lindsay, A. F., Sosa, L., & Comparato, P. (2018). Lola v Skadden and the automation of the legal profession. Yale Journal of Law & Technology, 20, 234.
Sipper, M., & Moore, J. H. (2017). Artificial intelligence: More human with human. BioData Mining, 10(1), 1-2.
Statista.com. (2020). How the use of legal technology has had an impact in law firms and in-house legal departments worldwide as of March 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1154732/ use-of-legal-tech-in-law-firms-and-in-house/
Statista.com. (2018). Likelihood of law firms implementing legal technology within the next two years in Singapore as of August 2018. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1032465/law-firms-intent-to-implement-legal-tech-singapore/
Statista.com. (2018). Law firms’ perceptions on legal technology as either opportunity or threat in Singapore as of August 2018. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031969/singapore-perceptions-on-legal-technology/
Statista.com. (2018). Perceptions of senior lawyers on the usefulness of legal technology in Singapore as of August 2018. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1032026/singapore-senior-lawyers-perceptions-usefulness-of-legal-technology/
Stooke, A., & Abbeel, P. (2018). Accelerated methods for deep reinforcement learning. arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.02811.
Susskind, R. E. (2019). Online courts and the future of justice. Oxford Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/ oso/9780198838364.001.0001
Susskind, R. E. (2017). Tomorrow’s lawyers: An introduction to your future. (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Susskind, R. E., & Susskind, D. (2015). The future of the professions: How technology will transform the work of human experts. Oxford Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/ oso/9780198713395.001.0001
TheEdgeMarkets. (2020, January 10). Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s Full Speech at the Opening of the Legal Year 2020. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/tan-sri-tengku-maimun-tuan-mats-full-speech-opening-legal-year-2020%C2%A0
Ting, K. S. (2017, November 25). Legal Profession in the age of Disruption: 5 Key Discussions in LexTech Conference 2017. University of Malaya Law Review. https://www.umlawreview. com/lex-in-breve/legal-profession-in-the-age-of-disruption-5-key-discussions-in-lextech-conference-2017
Toews, R. (2019, December 19). AI will transform the field of law. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2019/12/19/ ai-will-transform-the-field-of-law/
Umali, T. (2018, September 24). Implications of AI in the legal profession. Open Gov Asia. https://opengovasia.com/ implications-of-ai-in-the-legal-profession/
Weiss, D. C. (2017, March 2). JP Morgan Chases uses tech to save 360,000 hours of annual work by lawyers and loan officers. ABA Journal. https://www.abajournal.com/news/ article/jpmorgan_chase_uses_tech_to_save_360000_ hours_of_annual_work_by_lawyers_and#:~:text=to%20 s a v e % 2 0 3 6 0 % 2 C 0 0 0 % E 2 % 8 0 % A 6 -, J P M o rg a n % 2 0 Chase%20uses%20tech%20to%20save%20360%2C000%20 hours%20of,by%20lawyers%20and%20loan%20offic-ers&text=JPMorgan%20Chase%20has%20found%20 a,agreements%2C%20according%20to%20Bloomberg%20 News
Wong, H. S. (2019). Legal Profession and Marketing in Malaysia: Direction towards Hybrid Profession. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE), 8(2s), 533-536.
Yaqin, A. (2007). Legal research and writing. Malayan Law Journal.
Yu, R., & Ali, G. S. (2019). What’s inside the Black Box? AI challenges for lawyers and researchers. Legal Information Management, 19(1), 2–13.
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
Research impact
Harvested 2026-09-22Counts differ between services because each indexes a different body of literature. None of them is the whole picture.
- Semantic Scholar 14 View →
- Scopus 13 View →
- OpenAlex 8 View →
- Crossref 7 View →
- OpenCitations 5 View →
- Google Scholar no free count Search →
- Dimensions no free count Search →








