Artificial intelligence has even replaced the role of "Maknae Lawyer"… A major transformation in productivity within the legal industry has begun.

The core of transformation in the legal industry lies in artificial intelligence(AI). As generative AI joins lawyers as a new colleague, replacing the traditional routines of passive research and complex document review, the landscape of the legal sector is rapidly changing. Among them, LexisNexis(LexisNexis) is a representative case that integrated AI into practice early on. Its AI solutions, based on billions of documents and data, are believed to be reshaping the overall face of legal practice.

LexisNexis began integrating generative AI and intelligent agents into its platform several years ago. The company’s core platform, “Lexis+ AI,” links over 138 billion judicial cases and record data with the AI assistant “Protégé,” enabling not only document summarization but also complex Q&A, draft writing, litigation analysis, and other functions. According to a recent survey by Forrester(Forrester), five large law firms that adopted this platform achieved an average return on investment of 344% within three years and recouped their initial investment in less than half the time.

Within law firms, the productivity improvements across all levels of lawyers have also been validated. Junior lawyers saved up to 35% of previously unbillable work time, while mid-level and senior lawyers save over 2.5 hours per week on legal drafting. Legal research professionals, on average, gained more than 225 hours of discretionary time annually.

This change goes beyond merely introducing IT tools; it signifies a fundamental shift in how legal information is processed. Shawn Fitzpatrick, CEO of LexisNexis North America and the UK, stated: “When the company was founded, half of the sales came from print materials, but now the entire information, analysis, decision-making tools, and workflow have transformed into an AI-centered digital ecosystem.”

This achievement is attributed to the company’s long-term refinement of its content based on metadata. Protégé is not just a simple chatbot; it can classify user questions and connect to models suitable for drafting documents, summarization, and more. Additionally, all outputs are marked with their original sources, ensuring credibility even in environments requiring legal validation.

Cases of AI delivering unexpectedly positive results in the legal field are also emerging. Even when lawyers generate questions for witness cross-examination, AI plays the tireless partner role. This allows lawyers to free themselves from simple question drafting and focus on strategy development. Fitzpatrick expressed surprise: “Honestly, its ability to stimulate creative thinking has exceeded expectations.”

However, the accompanying caution is also present. The typical issue of generative AI—“hallucination”—remains a factor that the legal field must handle carefully. For this reason, LexisNexis has focused on building models dedicated to the legal industry rather than developing general-purpose chatbots. Thanks to this strategy, clients can maintain their existing workflows while adopting gradual changes through partial automation.

But new technologies are indeed impacting the traditional “apprenticeship model” in the legal industry. Fitzpatrick pointed out: “We are now in an era where AI can handle the work of lawyers with 1 to 3 years of experience. In this environment, how to sustain the apprenticeship system remains an open question.”

Nevertheless, he emphasizes that law firms boldly advancing AI adoption are actually gaining the greatest benefits. He explained that although some firms are still observing, most have recognized the necessity of using AI and have taken the first step. Technology has already crossed the threshold into the legal industry, and now the key is how quickly it can be adapted.