Editorial

We need to get ready for AI, warn Scottish lawyers

Law Society of Scotland calls for urgent regulatory reform, warning ‘There is no doubt that technological advances will mean increasing use of AI in delivering legal services’

Posted 1 February 2018 by Gary Flood


New regulatory structures are urgently needed north of the border to cope with the impact of many changes – including AI.

That’s the warning from the Law Society of Scotland, which this week has called for a regulatory system that included provision “for the regulation of legal services provided remotely by artificial intelligence (AI)”.

“There has been enormous change within the sector in recent years and the current system – some of which is almost 40 years old – is struggling to meet the demands of today’s fast-changing legal market,” says the body’s president, Graham Matthews.

“That’s why we have called for completely new, flexible legislation which will allow much needed reforms and ensure we have a regulatory framework that is fit for purpose, addresses the challenges of modern legal practice, from cross-border working to technological advances enabling AI legal advice, and which puts protecting consumers at its core over the long term.”

Matthews and his team have put forward no less than 11 recommendations for change to the independent review of legal services regulation announced by the Scottish Government last April.

They include an overhaul of the legal complaints system and an independent legal role which would have oversight of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC).

“Many consumers who believe that they have obtained advice from a qualified, regulated legal professional only find out they have no recourse to redress when things go wrong,” adds Matthews.

“As we look to the future, there is no doubt that technological advances will mean increasing use of AI in delivering legal services around the globe – and it’s our view that any new regulatory framework must be flexible enough to make provision for this.”

Holyrood says it has taken note of the input, telling the BBC that, “We are grateful to the Law Society for its contribution ahead of the review being completed later this year.

“Ministers look forward to receiving the report, and will consider its recommendations in due course.”