More than one in three expert witnesses now use generative AI to prepare for court cases, according to a new industry report. The shift has happened fast, despite concerns about accuracy.

The 2026 Expert Witness Fees and Practices report by ExpertPages surveyed over 425 experts across North America. It found 35 percent now use generative AI tools in their work.

Nearly all of that adoption came in the past year. Twenty-four percentage points of the 35 percent total arrived between October 2025 and October 2026.

Research and literature review is the top use case. About 32 percent of AI users apply it to research, 14 percent to drafting their own reports, and 12 percent to reviewing opposing experts' reports.

Most users say it pays off. Seventy-eight percent report productivity gains, with 31 percent calling the gains significant.

But worries persist. Eighty-one percent of AI users express concern about AI hallucinations or inaccuracies in their work.

Billing rates remain high. The average expert witness rate is $465 an hour, with securities and investment specialists topping $725 an hour. AI has not yet pushed fees down.