b'27 Local Government Lawyersatisfaction with the technology available toshowed only 19% of respondents currentlyforward and here to stay. them.use. I dont envisage it replacing my role Responding to the 2024 LDOTF careersEven if funding became available, adoptionanytime soon, but perhaps thats a lack of survey, lawyers reported a satisfaction ratingcould still be slow, as over half of respondentsimagination on my part.of 5.8 out of 10 with their IT facilities, showing(55%) said a lack of training and technicalThis takeaway aligns with Waldrons little change from 2013, when respondentssupport was a barrier to adopting newposition, who says rather than replacing gave a rating of 5.6 out 10.technology. humans, the technology replaces human Managements interest in technologyA further 50% complained that existingtasks.overall has meanwhile dropped in recentlegal technology products do not align withExplaining, she says: I ran a session with years, with 39% of respondents listingthe specific needs of local government legalone of the law firms on their Partners away investing in technology as a main strategy forwork, which tends to be highly specialised. day, and one of the people there made a very coping with future demands, down from 47%This suggests that even if funding becomesgood analogy. in 2019.available, AI adoption could still be hinderedShe said that when she started practice, Part of what is causing the sluggishby a lack of tailored solutions and internalif you wanted to send a contract to someone, response to AI is the sectors mixed feelingsexpertise as well as a need for departmentsyoud have to go to the library, find a book about how impactful it is going to be. to first adopt basic systems like contractwith an example of that, you would then have When asked directly about how theymanagement software.to photocopy it, give it to a secretary, get them expect AI to affect local government legalto type it up, write all of the amendments you practice in the foreseeable future, 38% ofExistential threat? wanted to make, get it changed and then send management said AI would make existingOne question that hangs over everyit out.processes more efficient but will notconversation about AI is whether it willShe said now we do that online, but were fundamentally change our approach, whilereplace human lawyers.doing essentially the same law, were just 19% predicted that it would significantly re- Local government legal professionalsdoing it faster and were doing it in a different engineer the way their departments work.generally feel secure in their roles, with onlyway.However, 38% of management reported7% fearing job loss due to AI adoption. Waldron thinks that AI is just another step that it is too early to evaluate, and 6% said itA further 45% of respondents to the similar to the introduction of computers and would have little impact. careers survey see it as unlikely to make anthe internetin making work much easier for One respondent said they have yet to seeimpact on local government in the foreseeablelawyers.a single useful AI product beyond meetingfuture. Youre essentially doing the same task, transcription software, while another evenLegal professionals in local governmentyoure just doing it much more quickly, in an described the technology as a grift. feel this way not because they underestimateentirely different way than you did five years A more positive respondent said AI willthe technology but because they understandago, 10 years ago, 30 years ago, she says.naturally introduce efficiency of operationthat their departments lack the budget forWhile it is not clear how AI will impact legal but the fundamental frameworks whichimplementation.departments in the distant future, it is clear govern how we work will remain similar. I cant see local authorities investingthat legal departments do not know what Ultimately, the biggest obstacle to adoptionmoney in AI when they dont even investto make of the technology, and even if they is cost. Most respondents to the managementin working IT equipment or working casewanted to adopt it, budgetary issues represent survey agreed that legal departments simplymanagement systems, one person told theconsiderable obstacles. do not have the money to adopt thesesurvey. However, as AI continues to integrate into systems.Another meanwhile said: At the moment,all sectors, local government lawyers may In total, 84% of respondents cited budgetwhile LAs may like to invest in AI, they canthave little choice but to engage with it. constraints as a major barrier to adopting legalprovide decent laptops, so I cant see budgetsAs Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls technology of any kind. stretching to AI. and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales We would need to have the budget toHowever, there are also some legalrecently (5 February) put it: There is no real implement AI and, at present, I cannot seeprofessionals that can never see AI working. choice about whether lawyers and judges that happening, one person wrote. One sceptical respondent said localembrace AIthey will have toand there And these budget issues look set togovernment does not need to bother withare very good reasons why they should do so persist, with just 24% of respondents inAI, describing it as a recipe for disaster, as albeit cautiously and responsibly, taking the the management survey believing theirthere is no way it will understand the nuancestime that lawyers always like to take before departments technology budget will growof local governmentwhile another saidthey accept any radical change.moderately, while the majority (60%) do notthey were convinced AI is snake oil. see their budget changing significantly. The remaining half of respondentsAdam Carey is a reporter at Local Despite this, around half of respondents(48%) were more optimistic, expecting AIGovernment Lawyer.(47%) did report that their council is investingto introduce ways of working more flexibly in legal technology to increase efficiency or toand creatively while not changing the help delegate work to more junior staff.fundamentals of the profession. However, it is likely that these investmentsA more enthusiastic respondent said: will not go towards AI, given the low adoptionWere only just dipping a toe into the water rates of basic legal technology like contractwith AI and Ive yet to experiment with it management software, which the surveymyself, but clearly its going to be the way'