Legal AI adoption: How law firms and legal departments achieve time savings and revenue growth

The accelerating adoption of AI across the legal sector has become unmistakable.
A substantial majority (92%) of legal professionals surveyed now use at least one AI tool in their daily work, reflecting a marked shift from previous years when adoption remained far more limited.

AI contract review and document review – automating routine tasks

These AI tools are streamlining routine processes and enabling legal professionals to focus on higher‑value strategic work. According to the Future Ready Lawyer Survey, satisfaction with AI performance is strong, with four in five respondents stating that AI tools meet their expectations.

Licia Garotti, Partner at PedersoliGattai Law Firm, described an “80/20 reversal”, where lawyers will spend 80% of their time analysing rather than gathering information. “Instead of replacing lawyers, AI tools that demonstrate a significant increase in productivity (such as document review) allow lawyers to shift from routine work to high‑value strategic advice,” she said. 
 
This increased efficiency may already be translating into financial gains, with 32% of surveyed legal professionals attributing an 11%–20% rise in revenue directly to their use of AI.

Ethical frameworks and AI risk management in legal practice

With more than 90% of legal professionals now using at least one AI tool, many acknowledge that AI adoption brings complexities requiring careful assessment.

The principal challenges to further AI implementation include ethical concerns relating to AI and data protection (39%), insufficient training (39%), and resistance to organisational change (35%). Advanced cyber security and privacy‑enhancing technologies are expected to remain highly relevant over the next three years, as organisations work to safeguard sensitive information and maintain client trust.

“As AI takes over more straightforward legal tasks, reducing the volume of junior work, firms must ensure that traditional legal skills are not lost. Human oversight remains indispensable: AI outputs must be reviewed using sound legal reasoning and ethical judgement by a human in—or at least on—the loop,” said Professor Frauke Rostalski, legal scholar and author.

Legal AI integration

Measurable gains in efficiency and revenue indicate that AI’s influence on the practice of law is already significant. However, organisations aiming to maximise the return on their AI investment must take a holistic approach, particularly as geopolitical uncertainty and evolving regulatory frameworks increase demand for specialist legal expertise.

The future‑ready legal organisation will not be defined by technology alone. Rather, law firms and corporate legal departments that uphold ethical practice, demonstrate resilience in the face of change, and invest in the continuous development of their people will be best placed to succeed in an evolving legal landscape.

To read the full legal‑industry AI analysis, download the 2026 Wolters Kluwer Future Ready Lawyer Survey Report >>