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AI exposure Legal

Will AI replace lawyers?

Lawyers, also called attorneys. US occupation 23-1011.

16.7%

of the time lawyers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of lawyers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 138 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 81% of them.Further along than 81% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for lawyersWhat lawyers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 21 tasks for lawyers. AI use at work shows up in 3 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.Core task automated and assisted 0.77
  2. Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.Core task automated and assisted 0.75
  3. Prepare legal briefs and opinions, and file appeals in state and federal courts of appeal. automated and assisted 0.75

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

18 of the 21 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.Core task
  • Confer with colleagues with specialties in appropriate areas of legal issue to establish and verify bases for legal proceedings.Core task
  • Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.Core task
  • Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.Core task
  • Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.Core task
  • Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.Core task
Show the other 12
  • Perform administrative and management functions related to the practice of law.Core task
  • Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.Core task
  • Represent clients in court or before government agencies.Core task
  • Search for and examine public and other legal records to write opinions or establish ownership.Core task
  • Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases.Core task
  • Supervise legal assistants.Core task
  • Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals.
  • Help develop federal and state programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, and establish enforcement procedures.
  • Present and summarize cases to judges and juries.
  • Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation.
  • Probate wills and represent and advise executors and administrators of estates.
  • Select jurors, argue motions, meet with judges, and question witnesses during the course of a trial.

How that compares

Among the 7 legal occupations, lawyers rank 6. The group averages 21.6%, and its most exposed job is Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates at 31.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 134Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks 17.3%
  2. 136Judicial Law Clerks 17.0%
  3. 137Credit Analysts 16.9%

Just below

  1. 139Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film 16.5%
  2. 139Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers 16.5%
  3. 141Industrial-Organizational Psychologists 15.8%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.