Wolters Kluwer releases 2026 Future Ready Lawyer survey report, highlighting rapid AI gains and shifting power dynamics

New York - March 10, 2026 - Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory has published the results of its global 2026 Future Ready Lawyer Survey, the preeminent source of insights from lawyers in law firms and corporate legal departments across the U.S., China and nine European countries. The findings show an industry coming to grips with the accelerated adoption of AI technology, an ambitious undertaking that has yielded long sought-after efficiencies across workflows and business practices, while raising unexpected challenges to ethics and infrastructure.

“The Future Ready Lawyer global report has always reflected an industry in motion,” said Martin O'Malley, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory. “What’s most striking this year is how rapidly legal professionals are accelerating to meet that change by reshaping business models, rethinking long‑held dynamics, and embracing new ways to deliver value through both evolving skills and bold technology.”

AI Delivers, Challenges Persist

A substantial majority of respondents (92%) report using at least one AI tool in their daily workflow. More than half (62%) report time savings that fall between 6% and 20% of their work week. It’s perhaps not surprising then that 60% of respondents expect their organization’s investment in AI to only increase over the next three years.

Confidence Fuels Adaptation

A considerable 61% of respondents expressed growing confidence in their organizations’ ability to adapt business practices, service offerings, workflows, and pricing models to the rise of AI-driven efficiencies.

AI Redefines Influence

AI may also shift longstanding power dynamics between law firms and corporate legal departments. More than half (54%) of respondents anticipate that law firms will leverage improved efficiency to service a higher volume of clients or drive more competitive pricing.

About the 2026 Wolters Kluwer Future Ready Lawyer Survey

The 2026 Future Ready Lawyer Survey from Wolters Kluwer’s Legal & Regulatory division included quantitative interviews with 810 lawyers in law firms and corporate legal departments across the U.S., China, and nine European countries — Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Hungary — to examine how client expectations, technology, and market trends are affecting the future of the legal profession.

Wolters Kluwer will delve deeper into the future of the legal profession during a series of upcoming webinars featuring legal industry thought leaders and respected luminaries to discuss the survey findings and their perspectives on where the legal industry is heading.

Wolters Kluwer’s Legal & Regulatory division enables legal and compliance professionals to improve productivity and performance, mitigate risk, and solve complex problems with confidence. Its expert solutions combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services to deliver better outcomes, advanced analytics, and improved productivity for customers.