The report found that nearly 75% of legal aid groups are implementing AI in their work, while 40% of legal aid professionals are using the technology at least weekly and about 25% are using it daily.
The report noted that legal aid organizations are adopting AI tools at double the rate of the wider legal profession based on findings from Everlaw's Ediscovery Innovation Report released in July. That report found that 37% of surveyed legal professionals are using generative AI tools in their work.
"AI presents a generational opportunity to fundamentally expand who has access to justice, but it's not a foregone conclusion. By empowering these critical legal organizations with AI tools, we can make a real difference in the lives of millions," Joanne Sprague, head of Everlaw for Good, said in the report.
The report is based on a survey conducted in May of more than 100 legal professionals. Respondents were asked about their AI use, the technology's benefits and its potential to close the access to justice gap. The survey was conducted in partnership with the nonprofit National Legal Aid & Defender Association, pro bono platform Paladin, and legal tech blog LawSites.
The report found that 90% of legal aid professionals said using AI "to its full potential" could help them serve more clients.
In addition, nearly 20% of legal aid professionals estimated they could serve more than 50% more clients by using AI, according to the report.
And nearly 90% of respondents believe AI tools can narrow the access to justice gap to some extent, according to the report.
"We will never be able to 'lawyer ourselves' out of this access-to-justice crisis. AI is a force multiplier to scale our services," Scheree Gilchrist, chief innovation officer at Legal Aid of North Carolina, said in the report.
The report noted that LANC is using an AI-powered voice agent for initial intake, freeing up staff to handle more high-value work.
Legal aid professionals' top obstacles when it comes to using AI in their organizations are data privacy and confidentiality concerns, hallucinations or false outputs, and ethical responsibilities, according to the report.
"These challenges underscore the fact that while the potential for AI is immense, its widespread, equitable implementation will require addressing these practical and ethical considerations to ensure the technology truly serves those most in need," the report said.
--Editing by Adam LoBelia.
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