Artificial intelligence is most beneficial to experienced lawyers

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“The greater the knowledge and experience a lawyer has, the more useful artificial intelligence will be to them in their work.” This may sound paradoxical, but it is not.

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The explanation lies in the fact that a lawyer with extensive experience and deep legal expertise understands what matters most in legal analysis; they are able to frame the relevant assumptions correctly and know which questions to ask. Such a lawyer is also quicker to assess and verify whether AI-generated responses are based on sound foundations, including whether they refer to relevant sources of law and draw legally valid conclusions from them.

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The importance of critical thinking when using artificial intelligence

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When using artificial intelligence, it is essential to apply critical thinking and not rely blindly on AI-generated answers. Artificial intelligence is no more infallible than humans. Its initial responses should not be treated as unquestionable truths; rather, it is both appropriate and necessary to challenge the AI as needed in order to probe issues more deeply - by requesting further reasoning, more detailed analysis of data, additional references to sources, and so on.

 

Law students should exercise caution when using artificial intelligence

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It is, of course, tempting for law students to use artificial intelligence to assist with their studies. However, we are of the view that present and future law students must, in many respects, undertake the same work that law students have traditionally been required to do. This is simply necessary in order to gain sufficient mastery of legal methodology and to develop strong critical thinking skills.

 

If the foundational knowledge is lacking, there is a risk that artificial intelligence will not be of sufficient use to law students after graduation, for the reasons described above. For this reason, we have chosen not to offer law students access to Lagaviti at this time and will not do so unless and until this is done in close consultation with the law faculties of the relevant universities.

 

AI literacy for lawyers

 

Artificial intelligence is new to most lawyers, and it is therefore important to build AI literacy within the profession so that it can be used as effectively as possible in legal practice. This includes, among other things, ensuring that lawyers acquire a basic understanding of both the opportunities and the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence.

 

We have already published several posts as part of our efforts to strengthen AI literacy among lawyers and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. If our followers would like us to address specific topics, we are happy to do so. You are welcome to send us a message or an email at lagaviti@lagaviti.is.

 

Reykjavík, 28 July 2025