New Zealand law firms are ushering in a new era with legal AI, moving beyond research shortcuts and faster drafting toward end-to-end workflow transformation. LexisNexis Protégé, a personalised AI assistant built for legal professionals, is driving this change. It supports research, document drafting, contract review and analysis, with outputs grounded in authoritative LexisNexis content and verified through CaseBase. The dedicated New Zealand version is crafted and reviewed by New Zealand-trained lawyers. Lindsay O’Connor, general manager of content for the Pacific region and content strategy for APAC at LexisNexis, is clear about the localisation commitment: ‘Everything that we do for New Zealand customers is specifically done in a New Zealand jurisdictional-specific version of the product. It’s not built for Australia or the US. We localise it specifically for New Zealand, and it’s reviewed specifically by New Zealand lawyers.’
Beyond Basic Efficiency Gains
Once new, finding cases swiftly or summarising documents has become commonplace. Lawyers’ expectations have evolved, says Lindsay O’Connor. ‘We’ve moved on a lot from AI can help you with research or AI can help you summarise things,’ she says. ‘Lawyers’ expectations are really evolving quite quickly to things that are not basic anymore.’ The global legal AI market supports this trajectory, projected to grow from US$1.45 billion in 2024 to US$3.90 billion by 2030, according to industry reports. New Zealand firms that treat AI as merely a research tool may find themselves behind this growth curve.
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In-house legal teams in New Zealand are using AI to monitor regulatory changes, assess which contracts may be affected and brief stakeholders early. O’Connor says this shift goes beyond efficiency: ‘For in-house legal teams, AI can help shift the role of legal from reactive problem-solver to proactive business partner.’ She sees private practice following the same path: ‘I think the next wave of that is … private practice lawyers … becoming much more proactive business and risk advisers to their clients.’ The distinction between the two sectors is narrowing as AI broadens what both can offer clients.
Trust, jurisdictional accuracy and data governance determine which tools legal professionals can actually rely on. LexisNexis Protégé sets itself apart by providing legally verifiable answers, a key aspect for lawyers bound by professional obligations. It maintains a continually updated data repository, ensuring new court decisions are accessible within 24 hours of receipt.
