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🇧🇪 Belgium /Technology

Artificial Intelligence Raises Questions About Lawyers’ Added Value

From La Libre Belgique · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Leaders of the French-speaking Brussels Bar say artificial intelligence can assist lawyers but is unlikely to replace the human judgment required to defend and advise clients.
  • They warn lawyers to protect confidentiality, avoid open systems and remain responsible for documents produced with AI.
  • The spread of AI-generated legal answers could encourage more people to represent themselves, while systems may rely on Anglo-Saxon legal concepts rather than Belgian law.

Artificial intelligence may produce a legally correct answer in seconds, but Brussels Bar leaders say that does not settle what a lawyer’s work is worth.

Marc Dal, the new head of the French-speaking Brussels Bar, said AI could help prepare case files and handle specific tasks. He rejected the idea that it would replace lawyers, whose work also requires human sensitivity when defending clients, presenting arguments and advising people in distress. “An AI is incapable of doing that,” he said.

We practice a technical profession, but also a deeply human one.

— Marc DalThe Brussels Bar leader explained why he does not believe AI will replace lawyers.

The bar is continuing work on how lawyers should use the technology. Dal said large international firms can invest in their own systems, while lawyers in smaller practices or working alone often cannot afford comparable tools. The bar therefore wants to inform them about AI’s usefulness and proper use.

An AI is incapable of doing that as well.

— Marc DalHe was referring to accompanying people in distress.

Ethics and confidentiality remain central concerns. Dal warned lawyers against using open systems in which information can be retrieved or collected. He also said they need to pay attention to the length of AI-generated documents, which can become excessively long.

Gérard Kuyper said AI forces the profession to confront its added value. Clients may question how much they should pay for a professional if a system can provide an answer that is 70% to 80% correct. He argued that persuasive legal writing remains a craft requiring precise language, and warned lawyers against letting AI write submissions that they must ultimately sign and take responsibility for.

At bottom, artificial intelligence raises the question of the lawyer’s added value.

— Gérard KuyperThe vice-head of the Brussels Bar described the professional challenge created by AI.

Dal also said AI could make self-representation more common. People defending themselves without lawyers have always existed, he said, but the process may now appear easier. He warned that standard AI systems are not neutral and may reason through Anglo-Saxon legal concepts, while Belgian lawyers work within a rule-of-law system.

Writing an argument to persuade remains a craft: you always need the right words and the right semantics.

— Gérard KuyperHe defended lawyers’ responsibility for persuasive legal submissions.
About this summary

Originally published by La Libre Belgique in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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