The Law Society: Existing Laws Sufficient for the AI Age

While government ministers push to relax regulations to accelerate AI adoption, The Law Society maintains that the key for solicitors is simply understanding how current laws already apply.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has issued a call for evidence on a proposed ‘AI Growth Lab’. This cross-industry sandbox aims to speed up the rollout of autonomous technologies by offering companies “time-limited regulatory exemptions.” The government argues that many existing regulations are obsolete, created before autonomous software emerged, and typically assume decisions are made by humans rather than machines.

Ministers believe that by moving faster than global rivals, the UK can gain a decisive economic edge, potentially adding £140 billion to national output by 2030. Their preliminary analysis highlights legal services as a sector where eliminating “unnecessary legal barriers” could unlock billions in value over the next ten years.

Yet the legal profession—supposedly the main beneficiary of this deregulation—is not seeking exemptions. In its formal response, the Law Society stated that the current framework is sufficiently robust. The friction stems not from the rules themselves but from the uncertainty around them. Although two-thirds of lawyers already employ AI tools, confusion remains the biggest obstacle to deeper integration.

Ian Jeffery, CEO of The Law Society, commented: “AI innovation is essential for the legal sector and already has strong momentum. The current legal regulatory framework supports progress. The main challenges come not from regulatory burdens but from the uncertainty, cost, data, and skills involved in adopting AI.”

Instead of a regulatory overhaul, the profession seeks a practical roadmap. Firms are currently operating in a grey area concerning liability and data protection. Solicitors need clear guidance on whether client data must be anonymised before being fed into AI platforms, and they require standardised protocols for data security and storage.

The issues become more complex when errors occur. If an AI tool produces harmful legal advice, it is currently unclear who bears responsibility—the solicitor, the firm, the developer, or the insurer. There is also ambiguity around supervision requirements, particularly whether a human lawyer must oversee every instance of AI deployment.

These concerns are especially acute for “reserved legal activities” such as court representation, conveyancing, and probate, where practitioners must know whether using automated assistance would breach their professional duties.

AI Laws Must Keep Safeguards in Place

The government has attempted to reassure the public that the sandbox will include “red lines” to protect fundamental rights and safety. However, The Law Society remains cautious about any move that could weaken consumer protection in the name of speed.

“Technological progress in the legal sector must not expose clients or consumers to unregulated risks,” Jeffery said. “Current regulation of the profession embodies the safeguards that Parliament considered essential to protect clients and the public. It upholds trust in the English and Welsh legal system worldwide.”

The organization is willing to participate in a “legal services sandbox,” but only if it upholds professional standards instead of circumventing them. For The Law Society, the priority is preserving the integrity of the justice system in the AI era.

“The Law Society strongly supports innovation as long as it remains consistent with professional integrity and functions within a robust regulatory environment,” Jeffery said. “The government must collaborate with legal regulators and bodies to ensure compliance with the sector’s professional standards. Any changes to legal regulation must involve parliamentary oversight.”

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