Park: AI could update clients
As many as half of law firm clients believe that artificial intelligence (AI) can replace a qualified solicitor, although most say this would only be for routine matters, research has found.
It also said that although 84% of clients were satisfied with the service they received, only two-thirds left a review, referred to as “the silent satisfaction problem”.
The Value Gap 2026, commissioned by lawtech firm Access Legal, was based on a survey of 1,000 UK clients who had used conveyancing, wills and probate, family or personal injury services within the past two years.
This found that 36% of clients believed that AI could replace a solicitor for “routine matters”, while a further 14% thought it could do the job for “most legal issues”.
Most of the rest, 46%, said AI could never replace the need for a qualified solicitor in handling legal matters and “a solicitor should always be involved”.
Danielle Park, a non-practising solicitor and product manager at Access Legal, said the clients who saw a role for AI in routine matters were “onto something important”.
In her experience of litigation, “there were long periods where not much happened” because the lawyers were waiting for third parties to act.
“Clients would ring asking for updates, sometimes just wanting reassurance that their case hadn’t been forgotten.
“Modern portals and AI could handle those routine status updates, freeing solicitors to focus on the complex advisory work and sensitive conversations that genuinely need human judgement and empathy.”
The most popular way of choosing a law firm was through personal recommendation (17%), followed by location and competitive pricing, with online reviews and ratings in fourth place with 14%.
Clients were most likely to choose email as their preferred communication method, followed by phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
The disparity between satisfaction and reviews represented an “untapped opportunity for good law firms to bolster visibility and positive sentiment online”, the report said.
Andrew Stevens, general manager at Access Legal, added: “When a ‘silent’ majority of satisfied clients leaves no public feedback, it can have real commercial implications for law firms.
“The online reviews and ratings they do receive may be out-of-date or not accurately reflect the quality of service being delivered across the sector, especially if a vocal minority of negative comments dominate.
“This results in a benchmarking blind spot, where firms appear to be underperforming relative to peers, despite delivering strong outcomes across fees, communication and results.”
He suggested that the root cause was often timing: “Legal matters are inherently stressful, and by the end of a case most clients simply want to move on.
“Firms frequently ask for reviews at the wrong moment, rather than during emotional peaks where relief, progress or positive outcomes are still fresh.”
When it came to the digital tools clients valued most, online document signing came top of the list, with 29%, followed by online payment systems (21%) and a client portal for case updates (19%).
However, researchers said there was an “adoption gap” in these tools being offered by law firms.
A large majority of clients (84%) said their legal fees were “clear upfront”, and eight out of 10 recounted that solicitors “explained processes clearly”.
When asked what would improve value for money, 28% said lower cost and 27% a faster turnaround time, while 19% mentioned “better communication throughout.”
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