AI Reshapes Legal Rules, Risks, Lawyer Hiring

California has enacted the first state statute expressly governing lawyers’ use of generative AI, effective in 2027, with requirements focused on professional duties such as verification, confidentiality, disclosure, citation review and attorney oversight. Across the legal sector, AI is already assisting with research, document review and drafting—especially contract work—but its limitations make human legal judgment important when decisions or court filings could affect a case. Texas lawyers anticipate more high-stakes disputes involving AI, while disagreeing over whether existing courts and tort law are equipped to handle them. As businesses adopt AI, demand is also growing for lawyers who can advise on governance, privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property and compliance. In Spain, the national bar’s 2027 congress will address AI, technology and broader social change as forces reshaping legal practice.