Study: 36% of Americans Say DIY Legal Work Backfired, Rising to 57% of Gen Z

New research from Burris Law finds 46% of Americans would turn to AI or a search engine first with a legal question, while 32% would start with an attorney.

ORANGE, CA, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — When a legal question arrives, many Americans now weigh an attorney’s hourly rate against a free answer that appears in seconds. A new survey from Burris Law finds that more than a third of Americans (36%) have had a do-it-yourself legal document or piece of legal advice cause a real problem, a share that rises to 57% among Gen Z.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults examined when people turn to AI and other online resources instead of an attorney and what happens after they do. Over the past 12 months, 35% used an AI chatbot for a legal question or task, while 21% consulted an attorney.

The findings suggest cost, far more than confidence in the technology, is pushing people toward free tools, and that the mistakes those tools introduce tend to surface later, when a lender, a court, or a relative reads the document closely.

Key Takeaways

• 46% would turn to an AI assistant or a search engine first with a legal question, compared with 32% who would go straight to an attorney

• 35% used an AI chatbot for a legal question or task in the past year, compared with 21% who consulted an attorney

• 78% have handled at least one legal matter without an attorney

• Among those who needed legal help in the past year, cost pushed 84% into a cheaper substitute, a delay, or no help at all

• 36% say DIY legal work caused a real problem, rising to 57% of Gen Z and falling to 17% of boomers

• Among those who have used AI for legal information, 34% later found it was wrong, outdated, or misleading, rising to 44% among millennials

• 76% agree AI-generated legal information should always be verified, but only 24% of those who use AI for legal help always do
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74% feel very or extremely confident relying on a licensed attorney, compared with 19% for an AI chatbot

Software Has Become the First Stop for Legal Questions

Attorneys remain the most common single starting point for a legal question, but digital tools now outpace them when combined.

• 32% would go to an attorney first

• 26% would start with a search engine and 20% with an AI assistant

• 5% would start with a law firm website and 2% with a government website

The gap widens when respondents describe what they actually did. In the past year, more than half (51%) used a search engine for a legal question and 28% asked friends or family, putting informal advice seven points ahead of attorneys. Men drove much of the AI figure, using chatbots at 43% against 28% of women, though both consulted attorneys at nearly identical rates. AI use holds near half among Gen Z (45%) and millennials (46%), then falls to 27% of Gen X and 19% of boomers, who are the likeliest to open with an attorney (38%). Gen Z also treats social platforms as a legal source at 37%, compared with 3% of boomers. The findings suggest that whichever source answers first frames the problem, shaping what a person believes their options are before they know enough to judge.

Most Americans Have Already Handled a Legal Matter Alone

Nearly eight in 10 Americans (78%) have handled at least one legal matter without an attorney, and the list extends well past everyday paperwork.

• 30% handled a traffic citation and 28% a rental or lease agreement

• 23% handled a consumer dispute and 19% an employment issue

• 14% drafted or reviewed a contract

• 12% prepared estate planning documents such as a will or power of attorney

• 10% handled a real estate or property matter

Saving money ranks as the top reason for skipping an attorney for nearly half (49%) and lands in the top three for 71%. Confidence that AI or online resources could do the job correctly ranked first for just 4%, which suggests people are reaching for these tools because the alternative has a price tag rather than because they trust them. The reasons diverge by age. Boomers most often skip counsel because they judge the matter simple (32% rank it first, compared with 6% of Gen Z), while 43% of Gen Z place difficulty reaching an attorney in their top three, against 24% of both Gen X and boomers.

Cost Is Making the Decision

Among Americans who needed legal help in the past year, cost pushed 84% into a cheaper substitute, a delay, or no help at all.

• 35% handled the matter themselves

• 29% turned to free or lower-cost online resources

• 27% used AI instead of hiring an attorney

• 42% delayed the matter or dropped it entirely

• 9% say cost did not shape their approach

Income sorts the pressure. Among adults earning under $50,000, 58% say cost changed how they sought legal help, compared with 41% of those earning $150,000 or more, and 54% of the lower-income group rank saving money as the biggest reason to go without an attorney, against 43% at the top of the range. Younger adults run into legal needs more often, with 76% of millennials reporting one in the past year against 46% of boomers. Among those who needed help, though, cost reshaped the response for 85% of Gen Z and 77% of boomers. The findings suggest age changes how often people face a legal problem more than how much price governs what they do about it.

When the Shortcut Backfires

More than a third of Americans (36%) say DIY legal work caused a real problem, rising to 41% among those who have handled a legal matter alone.

• 14% say the matter dragged out

• 14% report significant stress or anxiety

• 12% hired an attorney afterward

• 11% paid to fix mistakes

In total, 24% report a direct financial hit. Harm tracks closely with AI adoption by age, at 57% of Gen Z and 42% of millennials compared with 24% of Gen X and 17% of boomers. Gen Z is five times as likely as boomers to have hired an attorney to fix DIY legal work (20% vs. 4%), and 23% say it delayed a resolution, compared with 4% of boomers. The AI-specific numbers raise further concern. Among those who have used AI for legal information, 34% later found it was wrong, outdated, or misleading, and another 22% cannot say whether they were misled. Because legal errors often surface only when a lender pulls a title or an executor reads a will, the findings suggest 36% may understate the eventual toll.

Americans Agree AI Legal Answers Need Checking, but Few Check

Three in four Americans (76%) agree AI-generated legal information should always be verified before acting on it, and half (50%) agree strongly, the strongest agreement any statement in the study drew.

• 24% of those who have used AI for legal information always verify it

• 23% rarely or never verify it

• 14% acknowledge they cannot tell when a legal issue requires a licensed attorney

Disclosure is similarly unsettled. Among those open to using AI for legal paperwork, 30% would tell a court or the other party, 37% would not, and 33% are unsure. Boomers are the most insistent on verification, at 89% compared with 63% of Gen Z, yet the least willing to disclose AI use, at 14% against 47% of Gen Z. The findings suggest verification breaks down in practice because checking a legal answer means reading the statute and judging whether it fits, which is the expertise many users were trying to avoid paying for.

Trust Stays With Attorneys as the Stakes Rise

Three in four Americans (74%) feel very or extremely confident relying on a licensed attorney, a level no other source approaches.

• 36% feel that confident in government websites

• 28% in legal templates

• 25% in traditional search results

• 19% in AI chatbots

More than half (58%) report little or no confidence in an AI chatbot for legal information, and TikTok creators finish last at 77%. Comfort with relying on AI alone shrinks as consequences grow, from 21% for explaining legal terminology and 17% for drafting a basic document such as a will to 8% for preparing court documents and 7% for courtroom representation. The share wanting an attorney involved rises from 83% for a basic document to 93% for courtroom representation, and many want that attorney to avoid AI, with 56% preferring counsel who uses none for drafting and 64% for contract review. When an attorney and AI disagree, 64% would side with the attorney and 8% with AI, while 18% would seek another opinion. Nearly two-thirds (63%) reject the idea of an AI system representing them in court, 47% strongly. Responsibility for a failed AI-generated document remains unresolved, with no answer drawing more than 21%, the share who would place it on the person who used the document. The findings suggest that without a settled answer, the risk defaults to whoever relied on the tool.

Taken together, the findings describe a public that understands where AI’s limits are and crosses them anyway when money is tight. A will, deed, or partnership agreement is read years after it is signed, often by someone with a reason to challenge it, and the study suggests many Americans will learn whether their do-it-yourself paperwork holds only at that point.

View the full study here:
https://burris-law.net/ai-diy-legal-advice-survey/

About

Burris Law is a family-owned California law practice headquartered in Orange County, with an office in Ventura. For more than two decades, the firm has represented families, property owners, and business owners in probate, trust administration, estate planning, real estate law, and business law. Its estate planning, wills, and trusts practice centers on documents built to hold up long after they are signed.

Taylor Jay
Resolve Marketing
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