New data from a legal AI platform shows a boom in the number of Australians turning to artificial intelligence for answers to legal questions.
According to LawConnect, a purpose-built legal AI platform designed to revolutionise access to justice and legal assistance, the last 12 months saw a sharp rise in the number of Australians nationally who have used AI for legal advice – particularly for family and criminal law matters.
The platform, which launched in late 2024, received over 120,000 queries from Australians in its first year, with almost 22,000 requesting a quote from a lawyer in that time. The top five areas of law that Australians are asking LawConnect about are family law, criminal law, real estate and property law, employment and labour law, and litigation.
LawConnect said that 44 per cent of family law queries are related to child custody and parenting arrangements, 16 per cent of family law queries are related to property settlement, and 23 per cent of criminal law inquiries are related to traffic offences or drink/drug driving offences.
Other findings include:
Speaking about the trends, LawConnect founder Christian Beck (pictured) said the platform has observed that legal issues are “increasingly colliding with everyday pressures”.
These include, he said, “rising living costs, housing stress, and relationship breakdowns”.
“People are looking for clarity quickly, often at a time when the emotional and financial barriers to seeing a lawyer feel especially high,” he said.
Many Australians, Beck continued, are now starting online “because it’s immediate, accessible, and private”.
“They want to understand their position before making bigger decisions, and AI has become a natural first step in that process,” he said.
Looking to 2026, he went on, AI will play a growing role “as the front door to the legal system”.
“It won’t replace lawyers, but it will help people engage lawyers earlier, ask better questions and approach professional advice with greater confidence – particularly in areas like family, employment, and property law where demand continues to rise,” Beck said.
LawConnect’s data also shows that Australians are using the platform the most between the hours of 3:00–8:00pm, with a peak at 6:00pm. Those aged 25–34 years are the highest user group, closely followed by 35- to 44-year-olds. The user split is 45 per cent male and 55 per cent female.
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of professional services (including Lawyers Weekly, HR Leader, Accountants Daily, and Accounting Times). He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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