Lawyers
Legal Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 23-1011.00
Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Very high· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.167
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.36
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only22 rated tasks · 19 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (86.4%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 1 rated task is not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; its score is kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.23-1011.00 | 0.071461.6 |
Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.23-1011.00 | 0.014112.1 |
Prepare and draft legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.23-1011.00 | 0.012210.5 |
Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.23-1011.00 | 0.00948.1 |
Prepare legal briefs and opinions, and file appeals in state and federal courts of appeal.23-1011.00 | 0.00585.0 |
Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.23-1011.00 | 0.00312.7 |
| Not observed on any surface — 16 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Present and summarize cases to judges and juries. | —0 |
Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions, by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case. | —0 |
Represent clients in court or before government agencies. | —0 |
Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit. | —0 |
Select jurors, argue motions, meet with judges, and question witnesses during the course of a trial. | —0 |
Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation. | —0 |
Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases. | —0 |
Negotiate settlements of civil disputes. | —0 |
Confer with colleagues with specialties in appropriate areas of legal issue to establish and verify bases for legal proceedings. | —0 |
Supervise legal assistants. | —0 |
Perform administrative and management functions related to the practice of law. | —0 |
Search for and examine public and other legal records to write opinions or establish ownership. | —0 |
Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals. | —0 |
Probate wills and represent and advise executors and administrators of estates. | —0 |
Help develop federal and state programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, and establish enforcement procedures. | —0 |
Work in environmental law, representing public interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with state and federal agencies. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.O*NET Task ID 3773 | 0.5 |
Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.O*NET Task ID 3774 | 0.5 |
Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.O*NET Task ID 3775 | 0.5 |
Present and summarize cases to judges and juries.O*NET Task ID 3776 | 0.5 |
Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.O*NET Task ID 3777 | 0.5 |
Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.O*NET Task ID 3778 | 0.5 |
Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.O*NET Task ID 3780 | 0.5 |
Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation.O*NET Task ID 3782 | 0.5 |
Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases.O*NET Task ID 3783 | 0.5 |
Prepare legal briefs and opinions, and file appeals in state and federal courts of appeal.O*NET Task ID 3785 | 0.5 |
Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.O*NET Task ID 3786 | 0.5 |
Confer with colleagues with specialties in appropriate areas of legal issue to establish and verify bases for legal proceedings.O*NET Task ID 3787 | 0.5 |
Search for and examine public and other legal records to write opinions or establish ownership.O*NET Task ID 3788 | 0.5 |
Perform administrative and management functions related to the practice of law.O*NET Task ID 3790 | 0.5 |
Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals.O*NET Task ID 3791 | 0.5 |
Probate wills and represent and advise executors and administrators of estates.O*NET Task ID 3792 | 0.5 |
Help develop federal and state programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, and establish enforcement procedures.O*NET Task ID 3793 | 0.5 |
Work in environmental law, representing public interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with state and federal agencies.O*NET Task ID 3794 | 0.5 |
Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.O*NET Task ID 20877 | 0.5 |
Represent clients in court or before government agencies.O*NET Task ID 3779 | 0.0 |
Select jurors, argue motions, meet with judges, and question witnesses during the course of a trial.O*NET Task ID 3781 | 0.0 |
Supervise legal assistants.O*NET Task ID 3789 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (22)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations. | Core |
| Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses. | Core |
| Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents. | Core |
| Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases. | Core |
| Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case. | Core |
| Represent clients in court or before government agencies. | Core |
| Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit. | Core |
| Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases. | Core |
| Negotiate settlements of civil disputes. | Core |
| Confer with colleagues with specialties in appropriate areas of legal issue to establish and verify bases for legal proceedings. | Core |
| Search for and examine public and other legal records to write opinions or establish ownership. | Core |
| Supervise legal assistants. | Core |
| Perform administrative and management functions related to the practice of law. | Core |
| Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts. | Core |
| Negotiate contractual agreements. | Core |
| Present and summarize cases to judges and juries. | Supplemental |
| Select jurors, argue motions, meet with judges, and question witnesses during the course of a trial. | Supplemental |
| Present evidence to defend clients or prosecute defendants in criminal or civil litigation. | Supplemental |
| Prepare legal briefs and opinions, and file appeals in state and federal courts of appeal. | Supplemental |
| Act as agent, trustee, guardian, or executor for businesses or individuals. | Supplemental |
| Probate wills and represent and advise executors and administrators of estates. | Supplemental |
| Help develop federal and state programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, and establish enforcement procedures. | Supplemental |
0.00/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
None of this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks is classified as a physical task.
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 864K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 904K
- Change (2025–35)
- +4.7%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $159,670
- Typical education needed for entry
- Doctoral or professional degree
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27120 | 변호사 | Same scope | confirmed |
| 27112 | 검사 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 27140 | 변리사 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
| 13131 | 법률 관리자 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 2611Lawyers
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Lawyers give clients legal advice on a wide variety of subjects, draw up legal documents, represent clients before administrative boards or tribunals and plead cases or conduct prosecutions in courts of justice, or instruct barristers to plead in higher courts of justice.
Tasks
- (a) giving clients legal advice on a wide variety of subjects and undertaking legal business on clients’ behalf;
- (b) researching legal principles, statutes and previous court decisions related to specific cases;
- (c) gathering evidence to formulate a defence or to initiate legal actions, by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case;
- (d) evaluating findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases;
- (e) pleading clients’ cases before courts of law, tribunals and administrative boards or instructing barristers to plead in higher courts of justice;
- (f) accepting briefs and pleading in the higher court;
- (g) acting as prosecutor on behalf of the Government;
- (h) negotiating settlements in matters which involve legal disputes;
- (i) drafting legislation and preparing government regulations based on existing laws;
- (j) drawing up legal documents such as contracts, real estate transactions and wills and preparing statements of legal opinions.
Example occupations
Attorney · Barrister · Lawyer · Prosecutor · Solicitor
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- lawyerESCO 2611.1Same scope
Lawyers provide legal advice to clients and act on their behalf in legal proceedings and in compliance with the law. They research for, interpret and study cases to represent their clients in a variety of settings such as courts and administrative boards. They create arguments on behalf of their clients for lawsuits in different contexts with the aim of finding a legal remedy.
- corporate lawyerESCO 2611.1.1This occupation is broader
Corporate lawyers provide legal consulting services and representation to corporations and organisations. They give advice on matters relating to taxes, legal rights and patents, international trade, trademarks, and legal financial issues arising from operating a business.
- intellectual property consultantESCO 3339.4Overlapping, not the same
Intellectual property consultants provide advice on the usage of intellectual property assests such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks. They help clients to value, in monetary terms, intellectual property portfolios, to follow adequate legal procedures for protecting of such property, and to perform patent brokerage activities.
- legal assistantESCO 3411.7Overlapping, not the same
Legal assistants work closely together with lawyers and legal representatives in the research and preparation of cases brought to courts. They assist in the paper work of cases and management of the administrative side of court affairs.
- legal consultantESCO 2619.5Overlapping, not the same
Legal consultants advise a varied array of clients ranging from business, individuals, up to legal firms. They provide legal advisory outside courtrooms in relation to legal affairs which depend on the nature of the client. They advise in matters such as merging of multinationals, housing purchase, modification of contracts and its implications. They help clients in general to abide by the regulations and avoid committing illegal acts.
- legal service managerESCO 1349.21.1Overlapping, not the same
Legal service managers oversee the general management of a legal service office. They not only strive for the highest efficiency and effectiveness when delivering legal services and advice, but they also coordinate a team of legally trained professionals. They manage different profiles of clients and adjust the legal services to their needs.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| K1914 | Responsable de service juridique | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K1915 | Avocat / Avocate | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K1903 | Juriste | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| H1212 | Ingénieur / Ingénieure brevet en industrie | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| K1901 | Notaire | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| K1908 | Responsable de service contentieux et recouvrement | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| K1916 | Mandataire de justice | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 2511 | Abogados | Same scopeprovisional |
| 2592 | Procuradores | This occupation is broader |
| 2512 | Fiscales | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 2599 | Profesionales del derecho no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 73134 | Rechtsanwälte/-anwältinnen - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | Same scope |
| 73124 | Notare/Notarinnen - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | This occupation is broader |
| 73144 | Staatsanwälte/-anwältinnen - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | This occupation is broader |
| 73194 | Führungskräfte - Rechtsberatung, -sprechung und -ordnung | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 73184 | Berufe in Rechtsberatung, -sprechung und -ordnung (sonstige spezifische Tätigkeitsangabe) - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 173 | 弁護士 | Same scopeprovisional |
| 172 | 検察官 | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 174 | 弁理士 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources