SearchFlow’s commercial real estate lawyers’ market report – AI and climate change: risks, challenges and rewards
Following the launch of our latest commercial real estate report – ‘AI and climate change: risks, challenges and rewards’ – Elizabeth Jarvis, Landmark’s Legal and Search Divisional Director, outlines some of the key findings from discussions with real estate lawyers.
The real estate market is facing a whole host of destabilising challenges in 2025. These range from enhanced geopolitical risk and highly volatile markets to a low growth domestic economy struggling with interest rates, the spectre of inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.
With that in mind, our latest market research report – AI and climate change: risk, challenges, rewards – seeks to gauge the sentiment of real estate lawyers in the current climate. The report explores two fundamental issues facing commercial real estate lawyers: the opportunities afforded by innovative technology such as AI and the ongoing response to climate change.
Key takeaways from our research
Here are some of the key takeaways from this year’s report:
- New technology and tools embraced
Lawyers are adapting well to new technology and tools. Output has been positive with better risk management and compliance, a renewed focus on the client experience, greater efficiency, and enhanced revenues. In a difficult market, a laser-like focus on clients’ needs will be more important than ever. The power of AI to help in this regard shines through in this research.
- Concerns around AI persist
Despite the successful adoption of innovative technologies, concerns around AI remain, particularly regarding security, accuracy, ethics and accountability. There is little appetite for risk among the lawyers we spoke to, and this push-pull scenario is likely to persist without more explicit guidance.
- Climate change crisis of confidence
Progress on climate change remains patchy, despite this being a universally accepted issue. There is a growing movement towards embracing net zero. However, with a quarter of net zero policies unpublished, confidence could be holding the industry back. The falling numbers of lawyers reporting climate change risks since 2023 shows that more support and guidance will be critical.
Download your copy of ‘AI and climate change: risks, challenges and rewards’ here
