Legal sectors in Canada and Switzerland address AI and staffing shifts

Legal professionals in Canada and Switzerland are addressing the impact of technology and budget constraints on the justice system. In Ontario, Canada, the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) has reportedly eliminated all professional legal librarian positions as of 2025. This trend of deprofessionalization in the public sector contrasts with major private law firms that continue to maintain significant legal library staff. Additionally, data from the Canadian Association of Law Libraries indicates a decline in full-time directors at university law libraries.

In Switzerland, a parliamentary initiative has been introduced to the Federal Chambers to debate the role of artificial intelligence in judicial rulings. National Councilor Raphaël Mahaim is advocating for legislative changes to ensure that the core decision-making process remains in the hands of human magistrates. The initiative seeks to protect the fundamental social contract where the power to judge is conferred by humans to other humans, amid growing global experiments with AI-assisted legal drafting and automated small claims processing.