Legal services will be the first sector to use new AI Growth Labs, controlled testing environments intended to help LawTech products reach the market more quickly.
What a growth lab does
A regulatory sandbox allows firms to test products under supervision, identify legal barriers and gather evidence before wider deployment. Potential uses include document review, case management, research and tools that help people understand legal processes.
The opportunity
Automation may reduce repetitive work and make some services cheaper. It could also help small firms handle information more efficiently and improve access for people who currently struggle to obtain basic legal help.
The risks
- Confidential information may be exposed or reused.
- Systems can invent authorities or misstate the law.
- Biased outputs may affect already disadvantaged clients.
- Responsibility can become unclear when a tool fails.
Professional duties do not disappear because software is involved. Lawyers remain responsible for confidentiality, competence and advice. Clients should be told when AI materially affects their matter and what human review has taken place.
Growth labs will be credible only if results—including failures—inform enforceable standards. Speed to market should not become the sole measure of success.
Source: Ministry of Justice, 8 June 2026.
