Source: Legal Futures

Legal Futures reports on a significant development in the professional standards for lawyers in the United Kingdom, where regulators have introduced a new duty for legal professionals to maintain a functional understanding of artificial intelligence. This move formally recognizes that technological competence, particularly concerning AI, is now an integral part of the general duty of competence owed to a client. The new guidance from regulatory bodies like the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) clarifies that lawyers cannot remain ignorant of the technologies that are reshaping the legal landscape. They must understand the capabilities, benefits, risks, and ethical implications of using AI tools in their practice to serve their clients effectively and ethically.

The article explains that this "functional understanding" does not mean that every lawyer needs to become a data scientist or a coder. Rather, it implies that they should be able to identify when and how AI can be used to improve the quality and efficiency of their work, for instance, in document review, legal research, or contract analysis. Crucially, it also means they must be aware of the potential pitfalls, such as the risk of AI "hallucinations" (generating false information), the importance of data privacy and security when using third-party AI platforms, and the potential for algorithmic bias. This new duty is expected to have a significant impact on legal education, continuing professional development, and law firm risk management, pushing the entire profession to become more tech-savvy and critically engaged with the tools that are defining the future of law.