In 2023, GPT-4 passed both the UK Solicitors Qualifying Exam and the US Bar Exam. Headlines quickly followed: Are robot lawyers coming for the profession? But the more important question is not whether AI can pass exams — it’s whether artificial intelligence can meaningfully expand access to justice.
Access to justice is more than access to courts. It is about whether people can understand their rights, navigate legal systems, and obtain fair remedies. Historically, access to justice has been narrowly defined as access to lawyers and courts. But as scholars and practitioners increasingly recognise, it also includes access to legal information, affordable tools, and early intervention support
The Promise of AI Legal Tools
AI-powered legal tools — sometimes called “robot lawyers” — are already reshaping legal services. Algorithms review contracts, analyse data in corporate transactions, and assist in dispute resolution. In many cases, automated systems are faster and more consistent than human reviewers
But the greatest opportunity lies beyond corporate law. AI tools can:
- Help people recognise that a problem is a legal issue.
- Translate complex law into clear, step-by-step guidance.
- Support early intervention before issues escalate.
- Automate routine processes to free up lawyers to focus on complex cases.
For example, digital tools in the UK have helped thousands of people draft reconsideration letters in welfare disputes, reducing barriers to justice. Private platforms now enable individuals to create wills, manage employment claims, or pursue online dispute resolution at a fraction of traditional costs.
In short, AI can lower cost, reduce complexity, and widen entry points into the legal system.
The Risks of Digital Justice
However, technology alone does not guarantee justice.
Digital justice reforms have been criticised for potentially excluding vulnerable groups, including the elderly, non-English speakers, and those with low digital literacy. Justice needs and digital capabilities vary across society. Without safeguards, digital systems may widen inequalities rather than reduce them.
AI tools also raise concerns about bias. If training data reflects existing inequalities, automated systems can replicate or even amplify patterns of racial, gender, socioeconomic, or geographic disadvantage
Responsible AI requires representative data, ongoing testing, transparency, and oversight.
Technology reshapes power. It creates new opportunities for empowerment — but it can also reproduce old hierarchies if not carefully designed.
So, Are Robot Lawyers the Future?
AI is not a replacement for human lawyers. Instead, it represents a new layer in the justice ecosystem.
When responsibly designed, AI tools can:
- Increase access to legal information.
- Support self-representation where appropriate.
- Enhance efficiency within legal aid systems.
- Democratise understanding of rights.
- Enable new forms of participation in justice processes.
The key is not automation alone, but responsible innovation. Justice technology must be affordable, safe, accessible, and inclusive. It must complement human services rather than displace them.
The future of access to justice will likely be hybrid: human-centred services augmented by intelligent digital tools.
Smart Justice – Key Takeaways
- Access to justice is broader than access to lawyers and courts, it includes access to information, capability, and meaningful remedies.
- AI legal tools can reduce cost, increase efficiency, and support early intervention.
- Digital innovation must be designed to avoid reinforcing existing inequalities.
- Responsible AI requires inclusive design, representative data, and ongoing oversight.
The future of justice is not “robot lawyers replacing humans” – it is human systems strengthened by intelligent, accessible digital tools.