Extract from Ella Sherman’s article “Gen AI is Defining Generational Split Among Legal Professionals”
The generational divide between legal professionals is stark when it comes to gen AI adoption and reliance on AI tools, according to Thomson Reuters’ 2025 Future of Professionals report published Thursday.
Thomson Reuters surveyed 2,275 professionals in legal, risk, compliance, tax, accounting, audit and trade industries in March and February 2025. Out of the total number of respondents, 1,363 legal professionals from firms, in-house roles and government positions participated.
In the report, when asked to identify skills gaps in their organizations, 31% of respondents reported gaps in technology and data skills. Thomson Reuters reported that professionals in Generation Z were twice as likely to identify low digital literacy skills among their co-workers.
“Baby boomer lawyers at law firms rated their own AI proficiency lower than younger generations. So for example, 47% of Gen Z lawyers rated their general understanding that the AI capabilities [are] as good or expert compared to just 15% of the baby boomer generation,” said Steven Assie, general manager of global and large law firms at Thomson Reuters.
Assie explained that, as partners near retirement, they may not feel heavily invested in learning new technology skills that may not be necessary to the work they perform.
