This 12 months’s Legalweek convention in New York Metropolis was effectively attended and dominated by discuss of vastly improved generative AI capabilities. The themes shifted from final 12 months’s, which targeted on generative AI as a brand new, extra intuitive software program interface that enabled authorized professionals to entry info extra simply.
This 12 months, the discussions matured. Throughout briefings, it turned clear that legaltech distributors are not simply layering AI onto current merchandise — they’re embedding it deeply into their platforms to floor significant insights from the info they already handle. From case administration and doc evaluation to billing and workflow programs, corporations are reworking operational information into strategic worth.
A key driver of this shift is the rise of agentic AI — programs that don’t simply generate textual content, however take motion, observe multistep directions, and make data-informed selections. These brokers are enabling platforms to maneuver from passive instruments to proactive programs that anticipate consumer wants, supply tailor-made suggestions, and improve capabilities far past the unique software program’s design. This rising pattern was evident in practically each dialog I had at Legalweek.
For instance, in my briefing with DISCO, the main focus was on increasing the platform from a conventional e-discovery instrument right into a complete litigation intelligence system. Their workforce described how AI is now used not solely to speed up doc evaluation, however to establish themes, develop case technique, and even inform danger evaluation == all by leveraging the platform’s current evaluation and metadata. In addition they highlighted their funding in empathy-driven design, positioning AI not simply as a instrument for automation however as a method to assist the altering roles of authorized professionals.
In the course of the LexisNexis briefing, I discovered about Protégé, their new generative AI assistant, which is designed to automate as much as 20% of authorized work — the whole lot from drafting to clause evaluation — by pulling straight from embedded DMS and contract information. The purpose is to fastidiously stability automation and management with agentic AI’s skill to personalize workflows, suggest actions, and dynamically generate content material tailor-made to every consumer’s apply space or jurisdiction. LexisNexis is counting on its huge dataset to place Protégé as a trusted assistant able to producing actual, usable work product.
Equally, Epiq’s launch of Epiq AI Labs and its AI Discovery Assistant earlier this 12 months evinces a transparent transfer towards foundational AI infrastructure, not only a easy level resolution. The instrument is designed to automate over 80% of evaluation processes and full them as much as 90% sooner than TAR. However what’s much more attention-grabbing is how they’re architecting this to assist broader service supply by combining proprietary instruments, Microsoft and AWS partnerships, and customized improvement capabilities, constructing AI that faucets into litigation and evaluation information to ship actionable insights.
Throughout my dialog with Onit, it was clear they’re betting huge on AI brokers as a core a part of their roadmap. These brokers will quickly be capable to execute complicated workflows, enhance activity accuracy by 20%, and function throughout multistep authorized and enterprise processes. What struck me was how Onit sees this evolution as a pure extension of their current data-rich platform. By embedding AI into workflow and billing programs, they’re enabling authorized ops groups to floor tendencies, automate selections, and in the end deal with higher-value work.
Clearbrief’s briefing stood out for its deal with professional bono work, but it surely additionally bolstered the broader pattern: embedded AI instruments utilizing current authorized paperwork to offer real-time, actionable assist. By making use of generative AI to briefs, filings, and asylum case supplies, Clearbrief helps attorneys enhance accuracy, scale back administrative load, and enhance affect — particularly in resource-constrained contexts. Their work exhibits how strategic worth doesn’t at all times imply income: on this case, it means attain, entry, and systemic enchancment.
Servient’s workforce talked by their long-term funding in machine studying and the way it laid the groundwork for right this moment’s AI enhancements. What’s new is how they’re utilizing these programs to synthesize details, generate analysis plans, and draft outlines utilizing litigation information already housed of their system. They’re additionally exploring agentic fashions that may function securely inside firm-specific environments, serving to companies preserve management over their workflows whereas gaining intelligence from their very own information.
NetDocuments goes deep on embedded AI, notably by its NDMAX Studio, which lets customers create customized authorized apps that leverage the info already of their DMS. The platform’s semantic search, auto-classification, and analytics instruments are all constructed to floor governance, productiveness, and enterprise intelligence insights that have been beforehand buried in unstructured content material. Their workforce additionally mentioned the huge potential of agentic AI workflows that enable customers to delegate multistep duties to AI — additional supporting the theme of data-informed automation that strikes authorized work ahead with out handbook oversight.
The themes that emerged from Legalweek 2025 this 12 months highlighted how generative AI is not only a front-end interface — it’s turning into the engine that drives strategic worth by leveraging the info already saved in legaltech platforms. From case technique and contract evaluation to billing and matter tendencies and doc governance, corporations are embedding AI to rework their programs from passive instruments into energetic members in authorized work.
Agentic AI is accelerating that shift, enabling software program instruments to routinely full duties and generate outputs which are more and more indistinguishable from human work. The platforms that succeed would be the ones that take advantage of what they have already got: wealthy, structured information — and AI good sufficient to make use of it.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York lawyer and Director of Enterprise and Group Relations at MyCase, web-based regulation apply administration software program. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Every day Report since 2007, is the writer of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s simply distracted by the potential of vibrant and glossy tech devices, together with good meals and wine. You may observe her on Twitter at @nikiblack and he or she might be reached at [email protected].
