AUSTIN — The State Bar of Texas recently released the results of its 2026 AI in the Practice of Law Survey, finding that AI use among Lone Star attorneys rose significantly from the bar’s last such survey in 2024, from 30 percent to 62 percent.
According to the survey, among Texas attorneys who reported using AI, ChatGPT is the most widely used AI tool, used by 63 percent, while Westlaw/CoCounsel is the most widely used legal-specific AI tool at 30 percent.
The most common use of AI was for legal research (53 percent). For attorneys who choose not to use AI, ethical concerns were the most commonly cited reason (59 percent).
As the largest legal occupation group in Texas, private practitioners make up the highest percentage of AI users overall (67 percent). However, corporate/in-house counsel remain the highest adopting legal occupation group (87 percent in 2026, up from 51 percent in 2024).
The survey also found that attorneys licensed 15 years or fewer reported an average AI adoption rate of 73 percent, compared to 60 percent for those licensed longer. The AI adoption rate also varies by firm size, with 87 percent of firms with 25 attorneys or more adopting AI into their practices, compared to 64 percent for smaller firms.
The 2026 AI in the Practice of Law Survey is a project of the State Bar of Texas Emerging Technology Committee and was conducted by the bar’s Research and Analysis Department. It was sent to a random sample of 30,000 licensed Texas attorneys, and 1,553 responded. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.
For Texas attorneys, judges and other legal professionals interested in learning more about AI in the law, the State Bar has created a number of resources including the State Bar of Texas AI Toolkit and the Ask a Human series of webinars and how-to videos.
