AI Agents Edge Closer to Legal Proficiency with Anthropic’s Opus 4.6
The legal profession is witnessing a significant shift as artificial intelligence (AI) agents demonstrate enhanced capabilities in performing complex legal tasks. Recent developments, particularly the release of Anthropic’s Opus 4.6, have propelled AI agents closer to functioning effectively within legal environments.
In January 2026, Mercor introduced a benchmark to evaluate AI agents’ performance on professional tasks, including legal analysis. Initial results were underwhelming, with leading AI models scoring below 25%, suggesting that human lawyers remained indispensable. However, the landscape has evolved rapidly.
Anthropic’s Opus 4.6, unveiled in early February 2026, has significantly improved these benchmarks. The model achieved nearly 30% accuracy in one-shot trials and an average of 45% with multiple attempts. This advancement is attributed to new features like agent swarms, enhancing the model’s problem-solving abilities. Mercor CEO Brendan Foody remarked, Jumping from 18.4% to 29.8% in a few months is insane.
While a 30% success rate indicates that AI agents are not yet ready to replace human lawyers, the rapid progress suggests a future where AI could play a more substantial role in legal processes. Legal professionals should stay informed about these developments, as the integration of AI into legal practice appears increasingly imminent.
