At Elias Recruitment, we know AI is no longer just experimental in law, it is operational, and expectations are rising. The Law Council of Australia has established a central hub that aggregates guidance and updates on AI (including Generative AI). It’s an important tool for everyone in the legal profession, emphasising the fact that materials can date quickly, meaning practitioners should check the latest protocols for their jurisdiction and exercise caution given ethical, professional and legal risks. We have put together a quick guide to help both our clients and candidates navigate this challenging time, while not falling behind as this technology advances at lightening pace.
Firms.
1) Publish and maintain an AI policy. Treat this like any other risk instrument. Draw on existing resources like the Law Society of NSW’s AI hub (including court protocol trackers) and the Law Institute of Victoria’s AI Hub. Tailor the resources to your practice areas and client promises. Update it quarterly. As we know things are moving fast in the AI space.
2) Build “human-in-the-loop” safeguards. Require qualified lawyer review of any AI-assisted work product for accuracy, privilege, confidentiality and citation integrity. Recent Australian incidents highlight why unverified AI outputs are unacceptable in court or client work.
3) Align with court expectations. Many courts now issue directions on AI use. Ensure litigators and investigators follow the current protocol list and capture that compliance in your matter procedures.
4) Train for capability, not hype. Focus CPD on safe prompts, verification workflows, citation checking, and secure data handling, areas the professional bodies are prioritising.
5) Nominate ownership. Assign a partner (policy), a practice manager (process), and a knowledge/IT lead (tooling) to keep your policy live and auditable.
Lawyers
1) Show “AI fluency with duty of care.” Demonstrate you can use AI to speed first drafts or research while meeting ethical and court standards. Reference recognised guidance in interviews and work examples.
2) Explain your verification workflow. Be ready to walk through how you check citations, preserve confidentiality and record human review, addressing the Law Council’s caution about evolving risks.
3) Target CPD that maps to outcomes. Choose courses that lift matter velocity without compromising quality (document review, research triage, client-ready drafting).
If you are planning a hire or weighing your next move, we can align role requirements and candidate capability with the latest Australian guidance, helping you gain the benefits of AI without compromising standards.
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