The Solicitors Regulation Authority will publish research in April showing that roughly a third of the public has used generative AI to help identify legal issues, marking the first concrete regulatory data on consumer AI adoption in legal services.
The findings, referenced during a Society of Asian Lawyers webinar in February, reveal that many people are taking a hybrid approach—seeking advice from both solicitors and AI models rather than choosing one or the other.
This represents a fundamental shift in how legal services are accessed, with implications that extend far beyond law firms to reshape the entire consumer legal market. The data suggests AI has become a mainstream tool for legal self-help rather than a niche technology experiment.
Accuracy and confidentiality concerns
The SRA research highlights familiar but persistent problems with AI accuracy. The regulator noted concerns about hallucinations in AI models, which have produced fake cases and incorrect information that has appeared in court bundles and client advice.
These accuracy failures represent “a step backwards for public trust” according to the SRA, underlining why human oversight remains essential when using AI tools in legal contexts.
The research also flags confidentiality risks, though specific details won’t be available until the full report is published in April.
Regulatory response
The SRA is maintaining its outcome-based regulatory approach rather than introducing prescriptive AI rules. Firms must meet existing professional standards regardless of their technology choices.
The regulator emphasises transparency as a key principle, requiring firms to explain their AI usage, demonstrate what data they use, show what oversight measures are in place, and justify why they chose AI for specific tasks.
This approach places the burden on firms to prove their AI use is compatible with professional obligations rather than seeking regulatory approval in advance.
Market implications
The scale of consumer AI adoption revealed by this research suggests the legal AI market has evolved beyond a business-to-business technology play. If a third of the public is using AI for legal issues, the technology is influencing legal service delivery whether firms engage with it or not.
The hybrid approach—combining professional advice with AI—could become the dominant consumer model, potentially reducing costs while maintaining some professional oversight. But it also creates new challenges for firms in understanding what clients have already researched and how accurate that research might be.
The full SRA research is expected in April, which should provide more detailed insights into how consumers are using AI, what types of legal issues they’re applying it to, and what specific risks and benefits the regulator has identified.
Editor’s note: The SRA research findings were referenced during a February 2026 webinar but have not yet been published in full. I’ll cover the complete report when it becomes available in April. - mm!ke