As law firms adopt generative AI and automation, the legal industry is transforming rapidly.
Ruud Helmes, Product Management Director of Kleos at Wolters Kluwer Legal Software, shares insights on emerging legal tech trends and how practice management software such as Kleos improves efficiency, facilitates compliance, and data security.
From the rise of GenAI to adapting to regulations like e-invoicing mandates, Ruud Helmes explains how Kleos empowers law firms to navigate change and thrive in today’s evolving legal landscape.
How do you see the software landscape for law firms evolving over the next few years?
Ruud Helmes: That’s a great question. The software landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. We’re seeing a shift towards more integrated cloud-based solutions that offer greater flexibility and accessibility.
Generative AI and automation are becoming central to these platforms, helping to streamline workflows and improve efficiency. Additionally, there’s a growing emphasis on data security and compliance, especially with increasing national and European regulations around data privacy and e-invoicing.
I believe we’ll continue to see advancements in these areas, along with more user-friendly interfaces and enhanced client collaboration tools. The goal is to make legal practice management as efficient as possible.
How do you see the role of generative AI evolving in legal software, and what are the plans for integrating AI in Kleos?
Ruud Helmes: Generative AI has a lot of potential in legal tech. We are currently implementing Generative AI in Kleos to assist with document work such as summarizing, extracting highlights, reviewing important data like deadlines or court arguments, and providing the possibility to extract this data to use in the next steps of a case. This frees up time for lawyers to focus on more strategic work. We believe that software should make work easier for lawyers so they can focus on their core activities. That’s why we are also exploring ways to use Generative AI for tasks like case review, smart search and task automation. It’s still early days, but we’re excited about the possibilities.
The first Generative AI use case that we will launch is summarization on document level, which we name Kleos AI | Summary.
How is Kleos prepared to respond to recent regulatory developments in the legal sector?
Ruud Helmes: Take for example the new EU regulation on e-invoicing, which mandates electronic invoicing across member states in 2025. This regulation is a significant step towards digital transformation and combating tax fraud. With Kleos, we’re fully on board with these changes. For instance, in Belgium and Germany, the government has already mandated e-invoicing for B2B transactions starting in 2025. Our software is being updated to ensure compliance with the Belgian implementations, using the PEPPOL netwerk, which is the required format for e-invoices. In Germany we are integrating the XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats, which are the accepted standards for e-invoicing there.
To give you another example – in Spain, lawyers will need to comply with Verifactu, which is an anti-money laundering initiative, later this year. Here too, our software will be updated to support our customers’ compliance with that regulation.
Ultimately, our goal is to make it as smooth as possible for our customers to comply with new regulations so that they can continue their operations with minimal disruptions.
What measures are you taking to strengthen data security in Kleos?
Ruud Helmes: Data security is non-negotiable and of the highest concern. Our customers handle sensitive data. We apply advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security audits to protect our users’ data. Kleos also supports our customers’ compliance with regulations like GDPR, ensuring that privacy-protected data of clients is handled with the utmost care.
Let’s shift gears, how do you see the daily work of lawyers evolve over the next few years?
Ruud Helmes: In the coming years, the work of lawyers will be significantly reshaped by advancements in technology including artificial technologies, deeper ecosystem integrations, and the continued adoption of cloud technology.
GenAI will greatly reduce the time needed on tasks like legal research, document drafting, and contract review, allowing lawyers to focus more on strategic thinking and client interaction. Rather than writing from scratch, lawyers will review and tailor AI-generated content, which will boost efficiency and consistency. At the same time, legal tools will become more seamlessly integrated into everyday workflows through platforms like Microsoft 365 and Teams, enabling smarter email management, automated time tracking, and direct access to drafting tools—all within the systems lawyers already use.
Cloud-based legal practice management solutions will support this shift by providing secure, scalable access to files, collaboration tools, and client communication from anywhere. Altogether, these technologies will transform legal work into a more efficient, connected, and client-centric profession.
Also, our software is accessible from anywhere. Not to forget our highly appreciated Kleos Mobile application for iOS and Android to manage your legal work on the go.
