Lawyering Must Evolve Beyond Mastering Statutes, Precedents In AI Era - PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called on the legal profession to undergo a fundamental shift in values, skills and knowledge to remain relevant in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid global change.

In his keynote address at the inaugural Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) Conference, he said the future of lawyering must go beyond mastering statutes and precedents, as these are increasingly becoming the domain of advanced AI systems.

"The lawyer of 2030 will therefore no longer be a 'search engine in a suit' because far more will be required. It follows that what needs to be cultivated today must shift to those that are not easily replicated and are complementary to current and upcoming AI capabilities.

"Law students ought to be trained to be ethical filters in this vast sea of data. The lawyer of 2030 and beyond must be competent in relation to technology and AI, possess the ability to make sense of data and be imbued with the culture of ensuring that the law is utilised for the public good," he said when officiating the conference themed 'Lawyering 2030 - Skills, Strategy & Legal Education' at Universiti Malaya (UM) here, today. 

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, CLEA Patron Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan, UM Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Zainun Ali and UM Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman.

Anwar emphasised that values and ethics must remain central to legal development amid the rapid technological advancement, with the MADANI framework prioritising educating the younger generation to uphold compassion, dignity and moral responsibility.

The Prime Minister said lawyers must serve as ethical authorities and moral anchors, ensuring that legal outcomes are not only correct but also just, while demonstrating empathy in handling disputes.

He said this shift would enable a more holistic approach to dispute resolution, including mediation, negotiation and conciliation, particularly in addressing domestic and private law matters

“Digital assets and climate change, for example, have redefined the types of legal assets and solutions that need to be found. The lawyer of the future must therefore be able to navigate the laws of multiple jurisdictions as easily as their own,” he added. 

Meanwhile, for current practitioners, he said they must continuously adapt to the meet current development to meet the needs of the world as it functions today. 

“It bears remembering that the law facilitates the day-to-day living of the citizen. It is necessary to comprehend the needs of the public, and not to gate-keep the law within a gilded cage that makes it inaccessible to the common man,” he said.

On Malaysia’s reform agenda, Anwar said the government remains committed to improving access to justice, particularly for marginalised communities, in line with the Malaysia MADANI concept.

He said while progress has been made, more efforts are needed to achieve what he described as legal singularity, a state where every citizen has meaningful access to justice and remedies.

-- BERNAMA