Law firms consider use of AI in applications
updated on 04 March 2024
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City law firms and accountancy firms are updating their application guidelines to consider the use of AI, with some prohibiting the technology and others celebrating it.
Pinsent Masons LLP has recently updated its hiring process, including introducing more verbal reasoning tests, over AI-enabled cheating concerns. Meanwhile, Shoosmiths says it “welcomes the responsible use of AI” to improve applications. The firm has created its own guidance for using AI, proposing that lawyers use it “as a tool, not a shortcut”. Shoosmiths has suggested that there are a range of ways AI can enhance applications, including:
- conducting legal market research to stay informed on niche areas and to develop informed opinions using resources from a number of different places;
- using productivity tools to stay organised;
- asking AI to suggest improvements to draft answers;
- using AI to summarise answers to help meet word counts; and
- using AI spelling and grammar checking tools.
Chief executive of Shoosmiths, David Jackson, said: “I think [generative] AI is to lawyers what the calculator is to accountants. It’s a tool that will make us perform better for our clients.
“We want them to be experimenting and using it, but it should never replace their own voice.”
When it comes to accountancy firms, many are completely banning the use of technology. Deloitte and KPMG are now asking applicants to confirm that online tests have been completed without using AI. Other firms, like PwC, are reviewing applications to ensure AI doesn’t “undermine the integrity” of the recruitment operation.
BDO, the UK’s fifth largest accountancy firm, has introduced a range of measures to prohibit the use of AI. For example, the firm is using plagiarism checkers, which flag AI use by:
- cross-checking paragraphs against typical AI responses;
- flagging duplicated answers; and
- checking the completion time for exceptional test scores.
The auditor said: “Any violation of our assessment policy, including the use of unauthorised tools, will result in the disqualification of the assessment and potential removal from the hiring process.”
