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As 2026 begins, The National Law Review surveyed 85 legal professionals across legal practice, academia, and the legal technology sector to assess how AI is expected to shape the profession in the year ahead. This year’s survey builds on The National Law Review’s prior annual predictions, including its 2025 edition.
To ground this year’s inquiry, respondents were first asked a series of baseline questions addressing four core issues: the likelihood of near-term artificial general intelligence (AGI), the potential replacement of entry-level lawyers, appropriate disciplinary responses to fabricated AI-generated filings, and whether U.S. law schools are adequately preparing students for an AI-enabled practice.
Editor’s Note on Survey Methodology and Limitations
The survey respondents were drawn from the editor’s professional network and do not represent an even or randomized cross-section of the legal profession. Nor do the survey respondents represent an even or randomized cross-section across different legal roles (e.g., academia, law firms, in-house legal departments, etc.). As a result, these survey results should not be treated as statistically reliable indicators of broader sentiment across the legal industry. Respondents, on average, have significantly greater exposure to, and proficiency with, artificial intelligence than the typical practicing lawyer. Eighty-four respondents participated in the survey portion. Responses to the first two questions were required; later questions were optional, and percentages may not total 100 percent due to rounding. These material limitations should be kept firmly in mind before drawing conclusions or making representations based on the survey results.
SURVEY QUESTIONS AND RESULTS
- Do you believe AI will replace entry-level lawyers within the next 5 years? (84 respondents)
- No: 58.3%
- Yes: 20,2%
- Unsure: 13.1%
- No response: 8.3%
- Do you think we will achieve AGI (artificial general intelligence) in 2026? (84 respondents) AGI is a hypothetical stage in the development of machine learning in which an AI system can match or exceed the cognitive abilities of human beings across any task (source: IBM).
- No: 77.4%
- Yes: 9.5%
- Unsure: 4.8%
- No response: 8.3%
- In 2026, should lawyers who submit fabricated, AI-generated citations or filings be disbarred? (77 respondents)
- No: 48.1%
- Yes: 19.5%
- Unsure: 11.7%
- No response: 20.8%
- Do you believe U.S. law schools are adequately preparing law students for the use of legal technology in legal practice? (81 respondents)
- Partially, but significant gaps remain: 51.9%
- No, they are not adequately preparing students: 32.1%
- Yes, they are adequately preparing students: 2.5%
- Unsure / no opinion: 13.6%
Read the respondents’ predictions on how the Legal AI landscape will evolve this year in “85 Predictions for AI and the Law in 2026.”
