{"id":41598,"date":"2025-08-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/?p=41598"},"modified":"2026-03-25T17:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:56:30","slug":"the-future-of-ai-in-law-trends-and-innovations-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/the-future-of-ai-in-law-trends-and-innovations-to-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of AI in law: Trends and innovations to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/span> 5<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span>\n

The legal sector is something of a traditionalist. However, with the advancement of Artificial Intelligence, there’s no longer room to be conservative around tech. AI in law is providing both challenges and opportunities that are pertinent to the modern professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s take a look at how you can use AI for law firms from legal practice to customer service and content generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Artificial Intelligence in law?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI in law means, in a nutshell, how advanced algorithms and machine learning technologies can be used to automate or assist with legal tasks. AI doesn’t replace the nuanced and human judgment of experienced solicitors. It does, however, perform routine tasks that are commonly assigned to junior professionals. These include document review, legal research and risk assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Susskind and Susskind in The Future of the Professions<\/a>, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in law will potentially reduce reliance on traditional legal professionals. That said, Remus and Levy<\/a> believe professionals will benefit from being relieved of structured, repetitive tasks\u2014which is the current extent of the influence of AI in the law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of use cases, we’re now seeing AI systems like IBM Watson<\/a> help junior lawyers access decades of legal insights instantaneously. This agility means that the demand for entry-level positions may reduce. Realistically, though, AI can’t bill hours\u2014which means the business models of many law firms would suffer from a smaller workforce. Naturally, the evolution brings the new ethical, regulatory and educational challenges that are constants in conversations about AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use AI for your law firm?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We’re seeing a major push for Artificial Intelligence in the legal sector worldwide. In fact, a recent report from The Law Society<\/a> cited that investment in legaltech reached $233m across 62 major deals way back in 2017 alone. So learning how to use AI in law is more a question of when<\/em> than if<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to think beyond adopting the technology to transforming your business model. AI can be used to automate administrative tasks, enhance document review, manage contracts, perform predictive analytics and even assist with litigation strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But you need to start by being specific: What potential areas of weakness could it strengthen for your firm?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Tasks like e-discovery, due diligence and legal research are ripe for AI solutions. Systems with extensive training data can locate relevant legal precedents or red flags in mere seconds, which saves hours of human labor with more efficiency. A 2018 study<\/a> pitted 20 top U.S. lawyers against an AI system in reviewing NDAs. The AI achieved 94% accuracy in just 26 seconds\u2014compared to the human average of 85% over 92 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategically, firms should also consider the long-term implications. As AI adoption grows, the structure of law firms will likely shift. Entry-level legal roles may decrease, affecting traditional pathways to senior positions. Firms must rethink recruitment, skills development, and succession planning in an AI-driven environment. While billable hours may reduce, The Law Society believes law firms can maintain fees with added value in their offerings and diversifying their target customers: “Lower costs could open up demand from those who previously could not afford legal advice, thereby increasing the size of the market.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n