Brazil’s Federal Bar Council, the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB), has launched a national study with Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research on the use and impact of artificial intelligence in legal practice. The initiative forms part of the National Plan for the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Advocacy and is intended to supply evidence for guidance on the ethical, safe and responsible use of the technology. The first stage will use an electronic questionnaire sent to lawyers throughout Brazil, gathering information on current patterns of AI use, perceived challenges, opportunities and expectations across all regions of the country.
In a second stage, a selection of participants will join an online national deliberation with Brazilian and international experts using the methodology developed by Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab. The OAB says the findings will support institutional policy, governance and strategic action on the digital transformation of the profession. The study is also intended to ensure that innovation is considered alongside professional ethics, legal certainty, lawyer’s professional prerogatives and the wider responsibilities attached to legal practice, rather than treating AI adoption as a purely technical question.