Seminar: “AI in the Law: Tool, Trap, or Both?”

Robertsons hosted an internal seminar this week entitled “AI in the Law: Tool, Trap, or Both?”, with Managing Partner, Chris Lambert, as the speaker. The seminar sought to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with the use of generative AI in legal practice, while equipping participants with practical guidance on how to use these technologies safely, responsibly and in compliance with professional obligations.

The session began with addressing why AI has become a pressing issue for the legal profession, highlighting the rapid adoption of generative AI tools by legal practitioners around the world and the evolving regulatory expectations that accompany their use. The seminar included an overview of how generative AI systems operate and demonstrated how AI tools can be incorporated into legal workflows, including legal research, drafting, document review and other routine tasks.

Participants also reviewed recent examples involving AI-generated inaccuracies, including instances of hallucinated citations and inadequate verification, which have attracted significant attention within the legal community. Chris then guided participants through the core risks associated with such use of AI, including concerns relating to accuracy, confidentiality, privilege, data security and professional responsibility. The seminar concluded with regulatory guidance from the governing bodies of Hong Kong and other relevant jurisdictions, and a discussion of how lawyers can effectively balance innovation with their professional obligations.

We thank all participants for contributing to a thoughtful and engaging discussion on this important topic.