How AI Is Reshaping Legal Work

Five robots gather around an oversized contract and hardcover law book using their own laptops, a ... More tablet, and oversized magnifying glasses, illustrating the concept of law or paralegal work being performed by artificial intelligence. Illustration uses a unified palette of neutral and turquoise colors, comprised of vector shapes over a dark gray background on a 16×9 artboard, and presented in isometric view. AI is no longer just an emerging trend—it’s a critical part of staying competitive. Increasingly, law firms are realizing that the real power of AI lies not in its novelty, but in its ability to address specific challenges and deliver measurable value to both clients and internal teams. Without a clear use case, even the most advanced technologies fall flat. What’s different now is momentum: AI has not only captured attention but has galvanized legal professionals to engage directly with legal tech. The message is clear—inaction is no longer a viable strategy for those determined to stay ahead of the curve. Why Is Technology Adoption So Critical—and Where Can It Help Most? Legal professionals didn’t enter the field to spend their days tab-switching and file-hunting. Yet many now find themselves overwhelmed by administrative burdens—searching for information, digging through folders, bouncing between contracts, emails, and research tools. The resources exist, but they’re scattered. There’s no single source of truth. Add in formatting headaches, compliance checks, and document review, and legal teams quickly become bottlenecks. For in-house departments, this means slower deal cycles. For law firms, it means burning billable hours on low-value tasks—at a time when pressure to deliver more, faster, is rising. Legal work is complex, but the process doesn’t have to be. Let’s take a closer look at where improvement is urgently needed: 1. Fragmented Tools Are Slowing Lawyers Down Legal professionals are overwhelmed by having to toggle between multiple tools that don’t integrate with existing workflows. Ethan Hilton, CEO of Caseflood.ai (YC W25), an AI-powered intake solution for law firms, confirms: “This is true. Good, well-thought-out integrations are the lubricant to having AI get adopted.” Aravinda Seshadri, Founding Partner at Venturous Counsel, agrees, “Absolutely agree, especially for smaller firms. It’s a part-time job to monitor new tools that might better facilitate our practice, but it falls by the wayside, especially when things are busy.” This is where companies like Lawformer step in. Lawformer is a legal tech platform built to simplify contract drafting and review. The company recently launched its Microsoft Word integration—a significant move that aligns legal AI with the everyday workflows of legal teams. CEO, Nako Edisherashvili, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, explains: “After working with 2,000+ customers, one thing became clear: the legal industry doesn’t need yet another standalone platform. It needs smarter tools inside the platforms lawyers already use. That’s why Lawformer lives inside Word.” With features like clause-based AI drafting, automated review, formatting correction, and even voice-to-contract generation, Lawformer transforms contract knowledge into action—without forcing users to switch tabs or adopt new software. Lawformer’s integration with Microsoft Word 2. Repetitive, Low-Value Tasks Are Still Draining Legal Time Lawyers continue to spend significant time on mundane tasks like formatting, clause hunting, and redlining. “Legal tech isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about making the work less tedious and more focused,” says Nako. “Lawformer automates clause-based drafting, contract review, and formatting correction so lawyers can focus on what actually matters.” Ethan Hilton adds, “This has and still is a problem. Though hundreds of solutions have popped up in 2024 to streamline this, most attorneys have not actually implemented them into their daily workflows.” Adoption takes time—but the growing number of solutions reflects just how big the problem is. Change is no longer optional. 3. AI Tools Fail Without Practical Integration and Training Many legal teams hesitate to adopt AI due to the perceived learning curve or lack of seamless integration. “A lot of attorneys take pride in not using AI, believing their work is better—and that’s true in many cases,” says Ethan. “The issue is that tools often get paid for, used once, and then abandoned.” Aravinda adds, “Companies often try to fix problems that aren’t real pain points while ignoring critical concerns like security and confidentiality. That’s where adoption stalls.” Nako agrees, pointing to integration as the key differentiator: “Lawformer delivers AI where lawyers already work—Word. That minimizes the learning curve and encourages organic adoption.” Legal Tech’s Tipping Point So, what’s fueling the surge in legal tech? Simply put: everyone stands to benefit . In-house legal teams can finally keep up with business demands. Law firms can streamline workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and shift toward fixed pricing models. Clients gain better access to legal services through automation and cost reduction. Technology is now handling tasks that once required human labor—document review, billing, formatting, and research. But this isn’t just about eliminating grunt work. It’s about enabling legal professionals to do what they’re best at, without being bogged down by everything else. The legal sector, notoriously manual and inefficient, is one of the ripest industries for AI disruption. However, it’s also one of the hardest. “AI has to meet a higher bar to be commercially viable in legal,” says Ethan. “That’s why tools have taken longer to hit the market.” Aravinda notes that while efforts to cut legal costs have existed for years, traditional firms—working on a billable hour model—had little incentive to adopt earlier solutions. Generative AI, however, is changing that equation: “The market is finally seeing a chance to replace lower-level legal labor. And it’s hungry for it.” Real Solutions Are Emerging “Legal tech shouldn’t ask you to learn new systems,” Nako says. “It should show up where the work already happens.” That’s why Lawformer is embedded directly into Word. No switching tabs, importing documents, or onboarding. Just smarter tools, built into the workflow lawyers already know. Legal departments spend years creating clause banks, playbooks, and precedent libraries—yet these tools are often static and disconnected. Lawformer makes them actionable. Contracts become searchable, editable, and enforceable through AI. Internal policies, risk flags, and company standards can be applied in real time. Lawformer was built by lawyers who were frustrated by inefficient systems and decided to fix them—backed by product leaders from Microsoft, Pipedrive, and IBA. “Lawformer didn’t just build a product, they built it by listening to the customers. The level of validation, iteration, and product-market fit we’ve seen makes this one of the most exciting legaltech ventures I’ve backed” , Givi Chkhartishvili , Head of Growth at Tether, founder of Noxtton. Ethan Hilton believes 2025 is the year of Voice AI in legal. “For consumer-facing law firms—like personal injury or criminal defense—all revenue starts with inbound calls. But 90% of those calls aren’t viable cases. For the 10% that are, you need a top-tier intake agent ready to sign them immediately.” At Caseflood, they’ve built a plug-and-play AI intake team that combines voice AI with decades of intake experience—helping firms increase downstream revenue by 20–30% and cut costs dramatically. “Voice intake is one of the hardest applications of AI,” Ethan says. “But it’s also one of the most valuable—and many players are starting to realize that.” Aravinda of Venturous Counsel, a firm that supports underestimated startups and mission-driven investors, says adopting new tech is critical: “We’re actively looking for tools that reduce costs and improve quality—while protecting the confidentiality our clients demand. Firms that don’t adapt will be outpaced.” Final Thoughts Legal work is no longer just about deep industry expertise. It’s about working smarter and offering fast, flexible services to clients. In 2023, only 19% of legal professionals reported using AI in their day-to-day work. One year later, that number jumped to 79%. The shift isn’t just happening, it’s accelerating. This isn’t hype. It’s a turning point. AI tools are becoming embedded in the very way legal work gets done—earning the trust of professionals and clients alike. The next generation of legal tech won’t ask lawyers to change how they work. It will change the tools so they work better for lawyers. The future of legal isn’t another platform. It’s better work, done faster—right where it already happens. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariashunina/2025/05/08/from-friction-to-flow-how-ai-is-reshaping-legal-work/