The use of AI in legal work is speeding up the work of young lawyers, but it is also having a “significant impact” on how they learn and develop their legal judgment, new research suggests.
According to findings from LexisNexis Legal & Professional, more than half (58%) of 863 legal professionals surveyed who use AI tools say they can create legal work faster when using AI tools, compared to 65% of legal professionals who use paid legal platforms. Young lawyers said they are increasingly using AI for tasks such as legal research, first drafts, and document reviews, all of which play a central role in early judicial training.
However, 72% of respondents said they were concerned that the use of AI would cause junior lawyers to have a harder time developing legal reasoning and arguments, and 69% said they were concerned that new lawyers would lack verification and source-checking skills, skills traditionally developed in time-consuming hands-on legal work.
Only 2% of respondents said they believe AI will enhance learning.
One in-house lawyer quoted in the report said:
“Junior lawyers are missing out on improving their legal research skills. They don’t necessarily know how to access primary sources and verify AI output.”
Another senior internal leader said:
“I worry that future law graduates will rely too much on LLMs for the most fundamental research, analysis and drafting tasks.”
When asked what would help young lawyers develop strong legal reasoning and judgment skills while using AI, two-thirds (65%) of respondents suggested positioning AI as a “thinking partner” rather than a shortcut or replacement for legal expertise.
An additional half (52%) said validation exercises that have juniors check AI output against trusted sources would be helpful.
As the adoption of legal AI platforms becomes increasingly popular, leaders questioned in the report said mentorship plays an important role in helping young lawyers develop legal judgment and professional confidence.
Bilal Farooq, director at Luton-based law firm Greystone Solicitors, said: “While access to legal information may become increasingly efficient, we continue to learn skills such as judgment, ethics and customer care through close collaboration with experienced lawyers.”
The report’s editor, Dylan Brown, said while the data shows clear productivity gains from AI, it also highlights tensions around how legal decisions are made. He added:
“As routines change, firms need to think carefully about how to build on the confidence and critical thinking that young lawyers have developed through experience.”
The study also highlights differences in how success is measured across professions. Among law firm leaders, revenue growth is the most important performance metric (55%), followed by positive client feedback (49%) and billable hours (38%).
Employees place more importance on billable hours and customer feedback (both 54%), followed by revenue growth (48%). These differences suggest that performance measures can influence how AI is prioritized and actually used, the report notes.
LexisNexis: The Mentorship Gap
